WORST PLACE TO EVANGELIZE JESUS CHRIST IN THE WORLD!
Iran Security Tortures, Jails Assemblies of God Pastor for Prayer Meeting…taken to Unknown Underground Prison with Hardened Criminals
*Crackdown on Evangelical Believers on the Rise…properties confiscated
* Other Pastor’s Wife, two Church workers convicted for converting to Christianity against Islam Regime*Children attending Sunday school in Church Arrested…in handcuff
* Saeed Abedini, American pastor’s health deteriorates in solitary prison
* Christian Prisoner suffers Internal Bleeding in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz city
*Fear over safety of 100,000 Believers in Iran
* “We’ve done no wrong…says our action protects Islamic values, laws of the land”–Iran Govt
BY THOMAS GLIBERT/RELIGION EDITOR, Just back from Iran
FROM all indications, the End Time as rightly predicted by the Holy Scripture has come and moves by Anti-Christ being used by the Devil to persecute and frustrate the works of the Kingdom of God is becoming very alarming by the day. Iran, is now considered a no-go zone for Christian pilgrimage or evangelist of ‘Jesus Christ’s good news’, as Iran Security operatives are fully armed to arrest, detain, arraign in court and jail any Christian who comes preaching the ‘salvation of souls’ to the people of Iran.
Assemblies of God Pastor Arrested, Tortured
Their latest victim is a pastor of the Central Assemblies of God (AOG) Church in Tehran who was detained Tuesday, May 21, as part of Iran’s wider crackdown on evangelical believers, just for preaching the word of God. His name is Reverend Robert Asserian. He was picked up against his will as his church prepared for possible closure by the end of June due to pressure from the feared Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
In a military format, Iranian security agents reportedly raided Asserian’s house and confiscated some of his belongings, including computer and books, after which they proceeded to the church where he was leading a prayer meeting. He was arrested and taken to an unknown location-alleged to be underground prison where he is undergoing torture to recant his belief in Jesus Christ.
Another Pastor’s wife, church workers jailed for converting into Christianity
For the records, Naija Standard gathered that earlier in this month another AOG pastor, his wife and two church workers were returned to jail after their one year sentences for converting to Christianity and “propagation against the Islamic regime through evangelism, a judgment upheld by a High Court on May 1 in Tehran.
According to the reports, Pastor Farhad Sabokrooh, his wife Shahnaz Jayzan and church workers Naser Zaman-Dezfuli and Davoud Alijani were initially detained in December 2011 when authorities in the southern town of Ahwaz raided their church’s Christmas celebrations, arresting everyone in the building, including children attending Sunday School Service.
They were temporarily released, but summoned to court on May 1, and re-arrested and re-arraigned. Alijani was reportedly transferred to Ahwaz’s Karoon Prison to complete his sentence while Pastor Sabokrooh, Shahnaz Jayzan and Zaman-Dezfuli were taken to Sepidar Prison.
Persecution against the ‘work-of-God’
Naija Standard learnt that these detentions became a major setback for the embattled AOG Church in Tehran, being one of few churches that offered services in the Farsi language. In 2009, they were already ordered to end Farsi services on Friday, a day off for Iranians, and were only permitted to hold services in Farsi on Sundays.
Iranian authorities reportedly ordered the ending of Farsi services on Sunday, giving church leaders the option of conducting Sunday services in Armenian or facing closure.
Also, Mostafa Bordbar, a Christian arrested in Tehran in December 2012 and whose case details remained unclear, was confirmed to be detained in Ward 350 of Tehran’s norotious Evin Prison where hardened criminals are kept, in company of evangelical Church of Iran member Alireza Seyyedian and AOG Pastors Farshid Fathi and Saeed Abedini.
Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who Christians said had been placed in solitary confinement for supporting a peaceful protest against prison conditions, was returned to Ward 350 after being taken to hospital following “a further deterioration in his health.
Christian Prisoner in Urgent Medical Help
Vahid Hakkani, another Christian prisoner, in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz city is in urgent need of medical attention. He was detained in February 2012 with eight others during a raid on a prayer meeting, suffering from internal bleeding and has been informed by prison doctors that he needs surgery urgently.
So far, Iran’s government has violated international treaties it signed including Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees “freedom of religion or belief, and the right, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
“We’ve done no wrong…says our action protects Islamic values, laws of the land”–Iran Govt
Reacting to the global condemnation the country is attracting, Iran’s government denies any wrongdoing saying its action protects Islamic values and the laws of the land. Despite the reported pressure there are at least 100,000 evangelical believers in Iran, including many former Muslims, missionaries say, though some church groups claim the real figure may be several times higher.
*Additional reports by Worthy News’ partner news agency, BosNewsLife
