ISTANBUL, Turkey — Iranian authorities moved Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand to a military prison in mid-November, deepening fears for the safety of the Protestant pastor jailed Sept. 9.
A former Muslim, Pourmand converted to Christianity nearly 25 years ago and was serving as lay pastor of a congregation in Bandar-i Bushehr when arrested. Married with two children, Pourmand is a colonel in the Iranian army.
In recent months, prominent government officials have repeatedly denounced “foreign religions,” which they accuse of threatening Iran’s national security. In Iran’s Islamic courts, a Muslim convicted of apostasy is subject to the death penalty, and several ex-Muslims who converted to Christianity have been covertly assassinated or executed by court order under the guise of spying for foreign countries.
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