Free Republic

Yesterday in Iran, Iranian intelligence officers summoned Pastor Saeed for an intense round of interrogation. Pastor Saeed reported to his family that the interrogators were abusive both verbally and physically. During the course of interrogation, the officers repeatedly used a taser gun on Pastor Saeed. This new assault is concerning as Pastor Saeed is still being denied needed medical care for injuries sustained as a result of beatings in the past.

This Christmas, Remember Pastor Saeed. Remember the Persecuted Church This is the second Christmas that Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen, will spend in an Iranian prison. His only crime? His Christian faith. Inexcusably, he remains in prison even after the Obama administration made a “deal” with his captors. According to this “deal,” Iran keeps enriching uranium, Iran keeps its centrifuges (key equipment for building nuclear weapons), Iran gets billions in sanctions relief, and Iran gets “humanitarian transactions” from the United States.

The wife of imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini says she and her family are devastated after learning that the Obama administration did not try to secure the release of her husband as part of the newly signed deal on Iran's nuclear program.

This weekend, the Obama Administration proclaimed that a historic “deal” was reached with the mad mullahs of Tehran. A breakthrough in their nuclear program, one that would ease sanctions and restrictions, while keeping them “away” from nuclear weapons. The joke is on us because nothing changes. But in the meantime, Obama could have secured the release of American Pastor Saeed Abedini, and possibly others, imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith. If he cared, he could have made the release of Abedini as part of the terms for the “nuclear agreement” with Iran. But Obama abandons Americans at every turn....

The American Center for Law and Justice says the Obama administration should never have struck a deal with Iran without part of the terms being the release of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini and other Americans being held in Iranian prisons. ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow says basically, President Barack Obama and Secretary of John Kerry turned their back on their fellow Americans. "It is outrageous and a betrayal of American Pastor Saeed Abedini who has spent more than a year in an Iranian prison simply because of his Christian faith," Sekulow said following word of a deal with the Islamic...

An American pastor who has been jailed in Iran since September has been sentenced to eight years in prison, the U.S. State Department said Sunday. Spokesman Darby Holladay said the department is calling on Iran to respect Saeed Abedini’s human rights and release him. Earlier this month, Iran’s semi-official news agency, ISNA, quoted Abedini’s attorney, Nasser Sarbazi, as saying his client stood trial in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes. The pastor, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, has rejected the...

Newly confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry condemned Iran’s “continued violation of the universal right of freedom of religion” and urged the release of an American Christian pastor imprisoned for his religious beliefs. In a written response to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to questions during his confirmation hearing last week obtained by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Kerry, a liberal Massachusetts Democrat, said he is “deeply concerned” about Saeed Abedini, who was sentenced to 8 years in prison for his Christian faith on Sunday. … Abedini, 32, who is from Boise, Idaho, has been jailed in Iran...