Christian convert faces death in Iran

(December 13, 2010) A Christan pastor in Iran has been sentenced to death for allegedly renouncing his Muslim religion and another also faces possible charges of apostasy. Youcef Nadarkhani, a 32-year-old member of the Church of Iran ministry and pastor of an approximately 400-person congregation in the northern city of Rasht, faces death, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, CNN reported. In the southern city of Shiraz, another Christian pastor, Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani, is facing a possible indictment for apostasy. “This is part of a greater trend of persecution against Christians,” said Firouz Sadegh-Khanjani, brother of 35-year old Behrouz and member of the Church of Iran’s Executive Council. On September 22, Iran’s 11th Circuit Criminal Court of Appeals for the Gilan Province upheld the death sentence and conviction of Nadarkhani for apostasy. “It is the low point of any judicial system to sentence a person to death outside of its own legal framework,” said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the campaign. The judgment said Nadarkhani was born to Muslim parents but converted to Christianity when he was age 19. During his trial he said he was not an apostate, as prior to 19 years of age he did not accept any religion, the campaign reported.