Iranian Christian Released After Year-Long Imprisonment for Evangelizing
An Iranian Christian man who served about a year in prison for sharing his faith was released on June 10,Mehdi "Petros" Foroutan, 27, was one of five Iranian Christians and
ministers convicted of blasphemy and crimes against national security on
March 8, 2011 for telling Muslims the truth about Jesus Christ.
Although the judge ruled that the five were not guilty, the prosecutor
appealed the verdict. Foroutan's time spent in prison was difficult and
he was put in solitary confinement for a period about a month into his
sentence.
Although it is one small victory for the persecuted church in
Iran, many others remain imprisoned for their faith -- including Pastor
Youcef Nadarkhani on death row in Rasht, Iran. He is still awaiting an
official response from the local court regarding his September 2011
trial.
