Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
TEHRAN, IRAN (ANS) -- An Iranian Christian news agency reports the release of a Christian believer after almost three months of detention by authorities.
Farsi Christian News Network (www.fcnn.com ) says Davood Ali-J
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Davood Ali-Jani (David) [Photo courtesy FCNN]. |
FCNN says Davood was eventually allowed home on bail on Thursday, March 8.
According to FCNN, after the release of Mrs. Shahnaz Jizan, the wife of Pastor Farhad Sabokruh on the first day of the year following payment of US$ 200,000, it was hoped that the rest of those arrested would also be released. However, only Rev. Farhad Sabokruh, pastor of “The Assembly of God” Church, and Mr. Naser Zamen-Dezfuli, were released temporarily on about $200,000 bail for each of them on February 21.
FCNN states that on Friday, Dec. 23 at 11:00 local time, during the weekly service in the Church of The Assembly of God in the city of Ahvaz, which is the center of oil-rich province of Khuzestan and is located about 900 Km south-west of Tehran, a large number of State Security agents surrounded the building and raided the church, situated in Kianpars 3th street.
In its report, FCNN says: “All those present, including children attending their Friday school, were arrested, mobile phones confiscated, and the church building thoroughly searched by the plainclothes agents who refused to identify themselves.
“A number of computers, all Audio-Visual equipment, and hundreds of copies of Christian books, were seized and removed. Church attendees were relieved of their mobiles and taken on two buses to an unknown destination.”
FCNN reported that almost all detainees, after a thorough search and considerable verbal abuse, were released a few hours later.
FCNN states that on Friday, Dec. 23 at 11:00 local time, during the weekly service in the Church of The Assembly of God in the city of Ahvaz, which is the center of oil-rich province of Khuzestan and is located about 900 Km south-west of Tehran, a large number of State Security agents surrounded the building and raided the church, situated in Kianpars 3th street.
In its report, FCNN says: “All those present, including children attending their Friday school, were arrested, mobile phones confiscated, and the church building thoroughly searched by the plainclothes agents who refused to identify themselves.
“A number of computers, all Audio-Visual equipment, and hundreds of copies of Christian books, were seized and removed. Church attendees were relieved of their mobiles and taken on two buses to an unknown destination.”
FCNN reported that almost all detainees, after a thorough search and considerable verbal abuse, were released a few hours later.
| ** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter |  |
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