Iranian Christians request prayer for four Christian converts who have finally received the court decision following an appeal court hearing on 13 December 2017.
Yesterday (2 May) the lawyer representing Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh, and Saheb Fadaie received a court order confirming the ten-year prison sentences received on 6 July 2017 for propagating house churches and promoting “Zionist Christianity”. Yousef and Mohammadreza have also been sentenced to two years’ internal exile; Yousef in Nik Shahr and Mohammadreza in Borazjan. Both locations are in the south of the country, far away from their families in Rasht.
On 13 December 2017 all four defendants attended an appeal hearing at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran in front of two judges, Mr. Babaei and Mr. Zargar. During the hearing, their lawyer presented both a written and a short verbal defence.
As they were taking communion at the time of their arrest, on 13 May 2016, Yasser, Saheb and Mohammadreza faced separate charges of consumption of wine. On 10 September 2016, they were sentenced to 80 lashes each. Their appeal against this sentence remains outstanding.
Prayer Request
Iranian Christians request prayer that:
a. the Lord will comfort and encourage the four men and their families
b. it will not be necessary for the four men to serve such harsh sentences
c. the Revolutionary Court and judges will stop intimidating Christian converts, and will respect the right of all in Iran to freedom of religion
d. all officials involved will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him
