Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani to Face New Charges in Iran

A Source Says That ‘Banditry and Extortion’ Will Replace ‘Apostasy’ Charge

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
ASSIST News Service (ANS)

IRAN (ANS) -- A 35-year-old Christian pastor, who has spent nearly three years behind bars in Iran and has been sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his faith, has been ordered to appear in court next month, where he is expected to face new charges.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani faces new charges

According to the Farsi Christian News Network (www.fcnn.com) the charges of “banditry and extortion” will replace “apostasy” for Youcef Nadarkhani.

“The new leveled charges raise concern that following widespread international criticism about the ruling issued for Mr. Nadarkhani, Iranian authorities wish to influence the case process by bringing up arbitrary charges. The new trial adds to these concerns,” said a spokesperson for FCCN.

The news service went on to quote the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, which said that Pastor Youcef will be put on a new trial on Monday, August 27.

Nadarkhani, who refused to repent from being a Christian in earlier judicial proceedings and faces a death sentence, is now facing these new charges of “banditry and extortion.”

The Christian pastor’s earlier charges were “apostasy” and “converting to Christianity,” but the new charges of “banditry and extortion” were first mentioned last year on the Farsi News Agency (http://english.farsnews.com).

FCCN said that a source close to the case of Youcef Nadarkhani “who wishes to remain anonymous on security grounds” told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that, “Mr. Nadarkhani’s ‘banditry’ charges are fundamentally meaningless; he is not a thief or a bandit. This is a new accusation leveled against him for unknown reasons.”

Youcef Nadarkhani was born to Muslim parents and converted to Christianity at the age of 19.

Nadarkhani’s death sentence on charges of apostasy was upheld by Branch 11 of Gilan Province’s Appeals Court on August 23, 2010. On June 28, 2011, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned the ruling, but made the decision conditional on Nadarkhani’s repentance. There were three court sessions between September 25 and September 28, 2011 in which Youcef Nadarkhani was asked to repent and he refused. Nadarkhani is currently in detention inside Rasht Prison.

On September 30, 2011, the charge of “extortion” was mentioned for the first time on an Iranian website in a news article about Nadarkhani. The article claimed that Youcef Nadarkhani is accused of rape and repeated extortion. “Youcef Nadarkhani has [committed] security crimes and had set up a house of corruption. This individual is a criminal and his crime is not inviting some to the religion of Christianity, but he has security crimes. Nadarkhani’s death sentence has been issued for security crimes,” it quoted Gholamali Rezvani, Deputy Governor of Gilan for Security.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Nadarkhani’s lawyer, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran at the time, “If he is under trial in another court on other charges, I am not aware. But we only defended him against the death sentence in the case of his charge of apostasy. The charge the court staff announced that I defended during several different court sessions was apostasy and no other charge.”

“The new leveled charges raise concern that following widespread international criticism about the ruling issued for Mr. Nadarkhani, Iranian authorities wish to influence the case process by bringing up arbitrary charges. The new trial adds to these concerns,” said the FCCN spokesperson.

In his interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today, the source referred to evidence in Youcef Nadarkhani’s case. “In his defense documents, there is a hand-written letter from the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, in which he explicitly wrote about Youcef Nadarkhani that he “must not be executed”. His lawyer, Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, presented this note as evidence in the case, as well as other legal reasoning why he should not be executed,” said the source.

“We are sure that Youcef Nadarkhani will be exonerated and released, because so far as we have seen, even the Chief Justice does not believe in his execution, and it is only the Judge who keeps insisting on it,” the source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Anti-conversion law imprisons pastor

Conversion to Christianity is greatly hindered by South Asia's anti-conversion laws. (Photo courtesy of Bibles for the World)


South Asia (MNN) ― Anti-conversion laws in South Asia recently has Pastor Dhevan Das facing criminal charges and possibly imprisonment.

According to Gospel for Asia, a believer in Pastor Dhevan's church had a desire to attend a Bible college, but needed help. Pastor Dhevan was helping her out with the enrollment process when the accusations started.

Villagers claimed Pastor Dhevan was forcing the woman into Christianity, and they instigated his arrest on July 28. Pastor Dhevan was charged with forced conversion in conflict with the anti-conversion law.

Police were going to release Pastor Dhevan on bail, but a group of nearly 40 people protested at the police station and filed a complaint. In protest, the mob shouted, "Do not release him! He is destroying our religion!"

Christian leaders with Gospel for Asia visited the jailed pastor to encourage him but left the jail equally encouraged themselves. Pastor Dhevan took advantage of the situation to reach his fellow inmates with the Gospel message.
Furthermore, the jailer in charge of Dhevan is a friend of the church. He promised the visiting leaders with GFA that Pastor Dhevan would be well cared for until he can be discharged.

"I do not have much problem in the jail," says Dhevan. "I am taking it as a good opportunity to share God's Word and my testimony with other prisoners."

Pastor Dhevan was finally released last Thursday, August 4, but he still waits to face criminal charges. If he is convicted at his hearings, he will be imprisoned again.

Anti-conversion laws have been used in manipulation to legalize unjust persecution and imprisonment of Christians. Words such as "force" and "allurement" in the law's outline of prohibited means have foggy definitions at best and are often used to prevent conversions in general.

Advocacy Director for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Alexa Papadouris, says, "It allows for substantial interference into the private process of an individual's conversion by a state government known for its extremist Hindu nationalist credentials. The requirement to explain the reasons for conversion to potential hostile officials is a significant block to religious freedom."

Please pray for the charges to be dropped against Pastor Dhevan. Pray also that those he ministered to in jail would take to heart the promise of salvation through a relationship in Christ.

To check out Gospel for Asia's report on the situation, you can click here.