WASHINGTON — Iranian authorities heightened pressure on U.S.-Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini in April, threatening to keep him in prison indefinitely.
Authorities seem to be taking a “carrot-and-stick” approach to Abedini — leveling new, “petty” charges while promising him freedom if he abandons his faith in Christ and returns to Islam, said Tiffany Barrans, international director at the American Center for Law and Justice.
“They have said, ‘Don’t think you’ll get out after eight years. We’ll add additional reasons to keep you,’” Barrans said. “That’s the kind of threat in conjunction with an uptick of ‘If you recant, if you return to Islam, we will let you go.’ That’s not anything new, but it’s a very concentrated, intense time in the prison at present.”
The psychological weight of new charges against other Christians “certainly has been taking its toll, because Saeed has seen it come to reality for so many others,” Barrans said.
Barrans said pressure on Abedini comes and goes in waves, with the current round of ill treatment likely related to international efforts to limit Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons.
September will mark Abedini’s third year in prison. According to Iranian law, most criminal offenders can apply for clemency or parole when they have served one-third of their sentences. Barrans said Abedini’s family is in the process of applying for that.
So far their efforts for clemency have met with no results.
Abedini, whose 35th birthday was May 7, became a U.S. citizen in 2010.
His wife, Naghmeh, and their two children live in the United States. The Iranian government does not recognize his U.S. citizenship.
Barrans said that if the U.S. government “leaves the table without getting Abedini’s freedom, it makes things much more difficult to get his release.”
(BP)
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