Iranian Christian Pastor Farshid Fathi is spending his 35th birthday in an Iranian prison.
He was arrested in December of 2010 simply for his faith in Christ and was later sentenced to six years imprisonment in February of 2012.
For reasons unknown, Farshid was recently moved to one of Iran’s most brutal prisons, Rajai Shahr.
His situation has become precarious since the move and Elam Ministries reports he is having trouble sleeping for fear of being attacked by fellow inmates.
Rajai Shahr is where fellow Christian prisoner Saeed Abedini is also incarcerated.
David Yeghnazar with Elam Ministries spoke with CBN News from the United Kingdom about Pastor Farshid’s situation and renewed efforts to see him released.
Join the social media campaign and petition:
1. Sign the petition here for his release
2. Tweet birthday messages and images for Farshid to Iran’s Supreme Leader (@Khamenei_ir) and Iran’s state television (@PressTV): this will show Iran that Farshid is known and loved around the world. Remember to include #HappyBirthdayFarshidFathi in your tweet!
3. Share the petition and the #HappyBirthdayFarshidFathi campaign with your friends and family.
More on Pastor Farshid
Pastor Farshid Fathi Malayeri, an evangelical church leader who was sentenced to six years in prison in March 2012, had his sentence confirmed following an unsuccessful appeal hearing in Tehran at the end of June.
Pastor Farshid was arrested on 26 December 2010 during raids that targeted a large number of house-church Christians, many of whom were released after making exorbitant bail payments. Pastor Farshid remained in prison, however, where he was held in solitary confinement for over 100 days.
Pastor Farshid’s trial was postponed several times by the judicial authorities but eventually, after 14 months in detention, he was tried on 5 March 2012 by a Revolutionary Court in Evin Prison in Tehran. Judge Salavati convicted him of being the chief agent of foreign organisations in Iran and of administrating funds for foreign organisations, for which Pastor Farshid was sentenced to six years in prison. Both the verdict and sentence were upheld on appeal, and he will serve the remainder of his sentence in Evin Prison.
There are concerns over the lack of due process in the case: Pastor Farshid’s lawyer was deprived of full access to his client’s case until a few days prior to the initial court hearing; and despite the fact that the pastor’s family relinquished the title deeds of their home as bail, he was not released. On one occasion he was told to pack his belongings and was led out to the prison gate, before suddenly being returned to his cell.
Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director at Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said, “Pastor Fathi Malayeri’s illegal detention in the 14 months prior to his case coming to trial, his lengthy stay in solitary confinement, and the lack of due process in his case are wholly illegal and unacceptable. Moreover, as in recent cases involving Christians, the charges against the pastor were couched in political language when in reality he was arrested merely on account of his faith. The ongoing harassment and imprisonment of Christians, Baha’is and other minorities by the regime contravenes international covenants to which Iran is a signatory, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion.”
Sam Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries commented, “Farshid is a man after God’s own heart and God will be faithful to him. I am convinced that the greater the persecution, the more the church will grow in Iran. Such injustice will only cause more Iranians to want to know the Jesus that people like Farshid proclaim. Farshid has become a shining beacon for Christ in Evin prison, so much so that the son of an Iranian Ayatollah has commented on Farshid’s sweet nature… remarking on how beloved Farshid is amongst the inmates.”
Pastor Farshid and his wife Leila have two children, Rosana and Bardia. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Elam Ministries)