Iran’s Supreme Leader fast-tracked an unfair case against an Iranian pastor after he acted “against national security,” sentencing him to five years in prison.
The pastor, Matthias Haghnejad, was teaching in his church when police arrested him last year, according to Faithwire. They also brought in eight other people from the congregation. Judge Mohammed Moghiseh denied the pastor his own legal representation and quickly transported him to Evin Prison in Tehran.
Behind the scenes, Moghiseh maintains a reputation of handing out unfair sentences against Christians. In Haghnejad’s case, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, granted Moghiseh the authority to override court procedure and jail the men without legal cause or defense. The other eight men were told they must accept court-appointed legal representatives but refused. Their trial was suspended, and the judge increased their bail terms.
Now all nine Christians have been sentenced to five years in prison, despite the lack of a proper hearing. During one trial in July, the judge falsified the Bible and called the men “apostates.”
“It seemed as if the judge had already made his decision and allowed this process as a formality before pronouncing a pre-determined sentence,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a nonprofit religious freedom group.
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