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Iran. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will face another court hearing.
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is imprisoned since October 2009. In September 2010 the Revolutionary Tribunal of Gilan Province found him guilty of apostasy and sentenced him to death – a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court in July 2011. In September 2011 he faced further court hearings during which he refused to recant his Christian faith.
Written confirmation has been received that pastor Yousef will face another court hearing on 8th September. The written summons does not state the purpose of the hearing. Recall that in July pastor Yousef was verbally informed that he would face a new trial on different charges. However, the original apostasy conviction has not been rescinded.
Elsewhere in Iran, the small number of officially recognised Protestant churches remain under significant pressure because of Government restrictions and surveillance, including a requirement that personal details of members be submitted to the authorities.
In addition to pastor Yousef, at least 16 other believers remain detained in Iran because of their Christian faith and activities. These include pastor Behnam Irani, detained in Karaj, who continues to suffer poor health. He was recently allowed to receive limited treatment in the prison’s medical centre but he remains very ill.
