Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been acquitted of apostasy and released, ending a saga that drew international attention and saw him spend more than 1,000 days in jail in the face of a death sentence — simply for being a Christian.
Wyoming-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported Sept. 8 that Nadarkhani, in jail since 2009, was acquitted of apostasy — that is, converting from Islam to Christianity — but found guilty of evangelizing Muslims. CSW said Nadarkhani was sentenced to three years in prison for the latter charge but released due to time already served. Nadarkhani said he never had been a Muslim.
A picture of a freed Nadarkhani greeting his family soon made its way across the Internet and was tweeted by Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which has championed Nadarkhani’s case.
The White House, the U.S. State Department and governments around the world had spoken up for Nadarkhani.
Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 while registering his church in Rasht, Iran, although he initially was arrested for protesting his children being taught Islam in school, ACLJ reported. He was charged with apostasy for supposedly abandoning Islam and later was given a death sentence.
(BP)
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