IRAN: Jailed Pastor's Bible Seized

Date of Bulletin: 23 April 2014

Iranian authorities recently confiscated a Bible and several Christian books from Pastor Behnam Irani, who is serving a five-year sentence on two separate convictions of "crimes against national security." Prisoners are supposed to be allowed religious materials in their cell, regardless of their religion.

The pastor is currently recovering from a February 2014 abdominal surgery. You can write an encouraging letter to Pastor Behnam Irani at www.prisoneralert.com.

Present Truth Ministries
Photo: Pastor Behnam Irani visits with his younger brother while recovering from surgery
 

Please Pray!

• Please pray for Pastor Behnam as he recovers from surgery.

• Pray also for his family; the pastor has a wife and two young children.

• Pray that the Scripture he has hidden in his heart will be a comfort to him as he serves his sentence.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Psalm 119:105 

The Voice of the Martyrs helps Christians in Iran by providing Farsi Bibles and by supporting Christian satellite broadcasts.

IRAN: Christians Arrested at Church Picnic

Date of Bulletin: 26 March 2014

Iran

On March 6, Pastor Amin Khaki and seven other believers were arrested by Iranian intelligence agents while having a picnic in a park near Shoush, Khuzestan province. The officers reportedly pulled their guns on the believers and beat them, even injuring one man. The Christians were blindfolded and detained in interrogation rooms for six hours.

Five of the believers were released, but Pastor Amin and two other church members remain in prison in Shoush. No charges have been filed, and no bail has been set. Pastor Amin's wife reportedly received a very brief phone call from him in which he simply told her that he was doing fine.

Present Truth Ministries
Photo: Pastor Amin Khaki

 Please Pray!

• Please pray that God will comfort and protect these believers while they are in prison and that other prisoners will be drawn to the truth of the gospel through them.

• Pray that the Iranian authorities will be favorably disposed toward the believers and that they will be released soon to return to their families.

"For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the LORD viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death."

- Psalm 102:19-20 -

The Voice of the Martyrs helps Christians in Iran by providing Farsi Bibles and by supporting Christian satellite broadcasts.

New Prisoner Alert Factsheet: VRUIR AVANESSIAN - Iran

 

P r i s o n e r    P r o f i l e

 Vruir Avanessian

Prisoner Name: Vruir Avanessian

Location: Iran

Date Arrested: December 2013

Date Revised: 19 December 2013

Pastor Vruir Avanessian, 61, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Dec. 5, 2013 for anti-government activities and the promotion of ideas contrary to the sanctity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pastor Avanessian was arrested Dec. 27, 2012 as he gathered at a private home with other Christians to celebrate Christmas. The pastor is an ordained minister in the officially-registered Assemblies of God Church in Iran and of Armenian heritage, Iran's largest Christian religious minority. He has served as a pastor for more than 17 years.

One of the most concerning aspects of Pastor Avanessian's case is his serious medical condition. The pastor suffers from heart disease and diabetes. He undergoes kidney dialysis three times a week at a private clinic in Tehran, and has been retired from active ministry due to his medical condition. He was unable to attend his own court hearing because he was receiving dialysis at the time. The court was fully aware of the pastor's health, and issued the three-and-a half year sentence anyway. Friends and family are extremely concerned about Pastor Avanessian's ability to withstand the rigors of prison.

Pastor Avanessian's initial court hearing was held on Sept. 7, 2013. The hearing was held behind closed doors and was closed to the public. After that hearing, the judge stated that until a verdict was announced, Pastor Avanessian was to remain at home and avoid all contact with other Christians. After the verdict was handed down, he was given 20 days to file a complaint.

According to Mohabat News and other sources, the Iranian government has been on a campaign of arresting Armenian-Iranian Christian leaders who are actively involved in the evangelisation of Farsi-speaking Iranians. In recent months several of these leaders have been summoned or  arrested by security forces and warned to completely stop their ministry activities or leave the country within 90 days. The central branch of the Assemblies of God Church in Tehran, the largest Farsi-speaking church in Iran, was ordered to be closed in May 2013, and its leader arrested.

What You Can Do?

• Pray for Pastor Vruir Avanessian. 

• Post this PrisonerAlert.com Prisoner Profile on the bulletin board in your church, Sunday School class or Christian school.

• Share a copy with your pastor, members of your Bible study group or other Christian friends.

• Write to Paster Vruir Avanessian.

Address for Vruir Avanessian:

Evin Prison
Saadat Abad
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran

Please Note!

When writing a letter, never mention the name of the source of your information or the name of any organization such as Voice of the Martyrs or Prisoner Alert. It is not dangerous for a prisoner to receive letters from individuals, but if an organization is mentioned they may be accused of links with 'foreign organizations' and receive harsher sentences. Also, please do not state anything negative about their government. For the latest information, including letter writing tools and helps, please visit PrisonerAlert.com.

Visit www.prisoneralert.com for updates on this prisoner.

Vruir Avanessian is also a talented singer! Below is a video of one of his songs:

Vruir Avanessian-Shahre Nasereh وروير آوانسيان شهر ناصره 

IRAN: Harsh Sentences for Believers Upheld

 Bulletin Date: 18 December 2013

On Oct. 12, 2013, an appeals court upheld the sentences given to four believers who have been detained in Shiraz since February 2012. The four, Homayoun, Korosh, Mojtaba and Vahid, were convicted on June 10, 2013, on charges of attending a house church, spreading Christianity, having contact with foreign ministries, propaganda against the regime and disrupting national security. They each were sentenced to three years and eight months in prison. Homayoun and Mojtaba have previous convictions, from 2008, for which they received suspended sentences.

On Oct. 20, four other believers were sentenced to 80 lashes each after being convicted of charges related to drinking communion wine. The men submitted an appeal, but it was rejected, according to a key source.

Across Iran, a number of other believers remain detained for their faith or Christian activities, and others  await court hearings

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Mohabat News

Photo: Iranian house church

Please Pray!

• Iranian Christians supporting these believers request our prayers that Homayoun, Korosh, Mojtaba and Vahid will know the presence and peace of Jesus each day.

• Please pray that others detained for their faith and/or Christian activities will also know the presence and peace of Jesus, and be released soon.

• Pray also that all officials involved will act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him.

"Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Mic. 7:7-8

The Voice of the Martyrs helps Christians in Iran by providing Farsi Bibles and by supporting Christian satellite broadcasts.

Iran: Mostafa Bordbar Released!

Give thanks & praise to our precious Lord!

Today, World Watch Monitor announced that Mostafa Mohammed Bordbar was released from prison on 3 November 2013. Mostafa was serving a 10 year sentence in Evin Prison, Iran.

"An Iranian Christian sentenced to 10 years in prison has been released after three months.

Mostafa Bordbar, 27, was released Nov. 3 from Tehran’s Evin Prison after overturning charges of participating in an “anti-security organisation and “gathering with intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security”.

Bordbar was arrested in December last year during Christmas celebrations with friends and sentenced in July. He was detained for a total of 11 months.

The Oct. 30 appeals court hearing cleared him of all charges."

Source:  World Watch Monitor

Pray Request: Saeed Abedini - Iran

Yesterday, the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) sent out an urgent update on Pastor Saeed Abedini. Below is a copy of the email.

"Pastor Saeed's life is in grave danger.

Yesterday, he was transferred to another Iranian prison – a deadly cellblock in one of Iran's most dangerous and obscure prisons.

He is no longer sharing a cell with political prisoners but with murderers. Rajai Shahr Prison is where prisoners are sent to disappear – many are murdered at the hands of other prisoners.

President Obama, who has already spoken to the President of Iran about Pastor Saeed, must take immediate diplomatic action to save Saeed's life. Time is of the essence.

Join our urgent new effort to urge President Obama to take decisive action. There is no more critical time than now. 

Sign our New Petition: Immediately Intervene to Save Saeed.

Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

P.S. Please earnestly pray and share this critical message. A U.S. citizen's life hangs in the balance."

Gohardasht Prison is in the town of Gohardasht, which is situated in the northern outskirts of Karaj, about 20 km from Tehran. Gohardasht Prison is also known as Rajai Shahr Prison.

Please pray:

• That the Lord will comfort Pastor Saeed, be his strength, keep him safe and remain close to him;
• That the other prisoners held in Rajai Shahr Prison will hear about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Lord & Saviour;
• That the Lord will also comfort, strengthen & provide for Saeed's wife, Naghmeh & their two children who live in USA.

Naghmeh Abedini

You can help support Naghmeh Abedini with prayer by joining her Facebook page, Pray For Pastor Saeed Abedini.

You can also follow Free Pastor Saeed & Naghmeh Abedini on Twitter.

Naghmeh Abedini shares her wonderful testimony in the video below. You can also link to the video at: https://vimeo.com/76932333


Naghmeh Abedini from Calvary Chapel on Vimeo.

Prayer Request: Farshid Fathi - Iran

Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Farshid Fathi

Farshid Fathi, Iran

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Arrested: December 2010

Revised: 20 August 2013

Farshid Fathi was arrested on Dec. 26, 2010 in a wave of arrests of believers in Tehran and other areas. Of the 22 believers arrested by security forces in Tehran, 10 were released after intense questioning and after they signed agreements to refrain from Christian activities. Eleven others were also later released. By the end of April, 2011, only Farshid remained in prison, though his family had paid an enormous bail sum. He spent nearly a year in solitary confinement.

Farshid, a Christian convert from Islam, was charged with "acting against national security through membership of a Christian organization, collection of funds, propaganda against the Islamic Regime by helping spread Christianity in the country," and sentenced to six years of imprisonment on March 5, 2012. Though the charge is for his Christian work, authorities tried to cast his activities as political offenses

.
Farshid's appeal against the charges was rejected in June 2012. He is due to serve the rest of his sentence in Evin Prison.

According to Elam Ministries, Farshid is a shining beacon for Christ in Evin, so much so that the son of an Iranian ayatollah commented on Farshid's sweet nature in a YouTube video. The two shared a cell. The man remarked on how beloved Farshid is among the inmates. Elam described Farshid as "a man after God's own heart."

Farshid Fathi & his family, Iran.

Farshid, born in 1979, is married to Leila, and has two children, Rosana and Bardia.

€My Lord Has Never Left Me - November 2012

Farshid wrote a letter to his father in November 2012, which describes the condition of his heart during a very lonely time.

€Often I have been sorrowful because of certain things, but I have never been a slave of sadness. Often I have been insulted, humiliated and accused, but I have never doubted my identity in Christ. Some have deserted me, some have fled from me; in no way do I pass judgment on them. My Lord has never left me. €‚What really matters is I am my Belovedƒs and my Beloved is mine. This possibly is the sweetest truth of my life that I am His and He is mine.

Letter from Farshid to Newtown

The following is excerpted from a letter Farshid wrote to the parents of the children killed in Newtown, CT.
I am so sorry and you are in my prayers. I am sure these high walls cannot stop my prayers for you. Before this tragedy happened, I was thinking about my suffering that I'm going through because of my Lord Jesus Christ, especially being far from my lovely kids.. But when I imagine how hard your pain is I forget my sufferings. Because I know by God's grace I will see my kids at the latest in 2017 when I come out from prison. But unfortunately you have to wait a bit longer.

Farshid Under Mental Torture - August 2013

In a letter written from prison, Farshid Fathi described how his interrogators have used emotional manipulation to break him. He wrote, €I was told falsely that my wife had been arrested as well, and that I needed to give my [two] childrenƒs custody to someone temporarily. I was also informed, falsely, that my dad had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Then they wouldn'ƒt give me any follow-up news on whether he was dead or alive. It was all intended to put me under mental pressure.

In reality, his father is fine, and his wife and two children fled Iran in 2011. They are now in Canada.

Evin Prison, Iran

Farshid Fathi wrote a letter in November 2012, which was published just recently. The letter is addressed to Farshid's father and in it he pours out his heart to his father.

Prayer Request: Mostafa Mohammad Bordbar - Iran

 Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Mostafa Mohammad Bordbar

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Arrested: December 2012

Revised: 12 August 2013

Christian convert from Islam Mohammad-Hadi Bordbar, known as Mostafa, was sentenced to ten years in prison for being a part of an "anti-security organization" and "gathering with intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security" on July 31. Mostafa was arrested on December 27, 2012 along with 50 other Iranian Christian converts who were celebrating Christmas in Tehran. They were detained and interrogated for hours before most of the group was released. Mohammed and an Armenian Christian pastor, Vruir Avanesian, were arrested.

Before his sentencing, Mostafa's family offered up the deed to their home in Rasht as bail, but the court refused to accept it because it is in a different county. He remained in Evin prison.

Evin Prison, Iran

Mostafa Bordbar was first arrested in 2009 in his hometown of Rasht for converting to Christianity and attending a house church. He was found guilty of apostasy (abandoning Islam), but he was released after posting bail. The apostasy conviction remained on his record.

Mostafa plans to appeal.




Below is a summary of the charges against him:

• Being involved in Christian evangelical activities used to fight the Islamic regime of Iran through the establishment of evangelical ministries and holding underground worship meetings

• -Mostafa's baptism

• -Continued attendance to a house church

• -Leading weekly house church gatherings

• -Providing other believers in other cities with evangelical material

• -Translating and dubbing five movies related to Christian evangelism

• -Clear confession to the court that he left Islam and converted to Christianity

• -Clear confession to the court that he considered evangelism a duty

• -Confession that he has distributed 12,000 pocket-sized Bibles

• -Discovery of 6,000 Bibles, gospel CDs and other books and CDs related to Christianity in his house