Security forces are reported to have raided Rev. Asserian’s house this morning and confiscated some of his belongings, including his computer and books. They then proceeded to the church where he was leading a prayer meeting. He was arrested and taken to an unknown location.
Reverend Robert Asserian, a pastor at the Central Assemblies of God (AoG) Church in Tehran, was arrested this morning while conducting a prayer meeting at the church. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has also received reports that the church may be forced to close by the end of June due to continued pressure from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
Security forces are reported to have raided Rev. Asserian’s house this morning and confiscated some of his belongings, including his computer and books. They then proceeded to the church where he was leading a prayer meeting. He was arrested and taken to an unknown location.
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More than 52,000 letters have been written to American pastor Saeed Abedini, commending him for his strong demonstration of faith as he languishes in an Iranian prison. The Web-based campaign was launched by the American Center for Law and Justice ahead of Abedini's 33rd birthday May 7. ACLJ, which is representing Abedini's wife and children who live in the United States, reported that 52,501 letters had been written to the pastor, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent who has been sentenced to eight years in prison for converting to Christianity. More letters can still be written at SaveSaeed.org. An Iranian Assemblies of God (AOG) pastor, his wife and two church workers have been returned to jail after their one year sentences for converting to Christianity and “propagation against the Islamic regime through evangelism" were upheld by a High Court on 1 May. Pastor Farhad Sabokrooh, his wife Shahnaz Jayzan and church workers Naser Zaman-Dezfuli and Davoud Alijani were initially arrested in December 2011, after authorities in the southern town of Ahwaz raided their church’s Christmas celebrations and detained everyone in the building, including children attending Sunday School. In another effort to force American pastor Saeed Abedini to recant his faith, prison officials in Tehran have placed him in solitary confinement, something the American Center for Law and Justice calls "perhaps his most grave situation since his imprisonment last fall." Abedini -- a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent -- has served time in solitary confinement in the past, telling his family it was the hardest time in his life, according to a statement by his wife Naghmeh. He explained that "every hour was like one year and that he was losing his memory and his health was deteriorating quickly," she recounted. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is refuting claims that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani has been executed in Iran. Reports alleging that Pastor Nadarkhani had been hanged initially surfaced last week and have resurfaced today. Pictures purporting to show a man being hanged are being attributed as evidence of the pastor’s death. However, the man in these pictures is not Pastor Nadarkhani, and CSW’s sources have confirmed he is still alive. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has learned that the trial of five members of the Church of Iran denomination, who have been detained since 12 October 2012, will begin at the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, Fars Province, on 10 March. Mohammad Roghangir, Surush Saraie, Eskandar Rezaie, Shahin Lahooti and Massoud Rezaie have been charged with disturbing public order, evangelizing, action against national security and an internet activity against the system. The five men were amongst seven people arrested on 12 October 2012 during an evening raid by the security services on a house in Shiraz where a prayer service was underway. They were initially held in Plaque 100, the Intelligence Ministry’s notorious detention center, before being transferred to Adel-Abad Prison, where they were detained separately from other prisoners. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has learned that Pastor Benham Irani, currently held in Ghezal Hesar prison in Iran, is now unable to walk and that medical assistance continues to be withheld despite his deteriorating health. Pastor Irani has been losing weight for several months and has been unable to walk for the last week due to acute back pain. The pastor has trouble with his vision and last year suffered severe bleeding due to stomach ulcers and complications with his colon, which caused him to lose consciousness at one point. He was given tablets to stop the bleeding, but was denied further medical attention. The plea for an American-Iranian Christian pastor imprisoned in Iran is going international -- and that's just one of the approaches being used to help him. Saeed Abedini lived in Iran, moved with his wife and two children to Idaho, then was arrested during a return trip to visit relatives. He is currently in prison and is being tortured. the American Center for Law & Justice is taking the case to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Attorney Jordan Sekulow says they can do that because they have an office in Europe which is recognized as a non-government organization. U.S. officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria on Wednesday. The target was a convoy believed to be carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali said Damascus "has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation." He said he cannot predict when the retaliation will be, saying it is up to relevant authorities to prepare for it. Mr Saeed Abedinigalangashi, a convert to Christianity with dual United States/Iranian nationality, was sentenced to eight years in prison on 27 January for “actions against the national security of Iran.” His lawyer told Mohabat News that the charges against him concern the planting of house churches that are “intended to undermine national security.”
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Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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