You are here
Iranian Christian Pastor Nadarkhani Re-Arrested in Tehran
By Pete Winn
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/iranian-christian-pastor-nadarkhani-re-arrested-tehran
December 26, 2012
The Iranian Christian pastor who was acquitted just two months ago on charges he converted from Islam to Christianity and freed from prison has reportedly been re-arrested in Iran.
Sources close to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, including the British group Christian Solidarity Worldwide and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), say the Iranian Christian pastor was reportedly taken back into custody on Christmas Day.
Both organizations had led the worldwide effort to free Nadarkhani, who was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death on charges of apostasy for converting from Islam to Christianity.
Nadarkhani, who spent more than 1,000 days in jail, was freed in September by an Iranian court, which acquitted him on the apostasy charges.
According to the sources, Nadarkhani was re-arrested by Iranian authorities to serve the remainder of a three-year sentence he had received for helping Muslims convert from Islam to Christianity. The sentence was upheld in September by the same Iranian court which had acquitted him of blasphemy.
In November, Nadarkhani travelled to London, where he spoke at a human rights conference, thanking thousands of activists who sent tweets, e-mails, cards and calls to Iranian authorities demanding his freedom.
Meanwhile, the Tehran regime has sentenced Nadarkhani's attorney, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, to nine years in prison for working to free the Christian pastor.
END
