Iran (MNN) — Advocacy groups Present Truth Ministries and Release International
confirmed Monday that Pastor Behnam Irani has finally been freed after
spending six years imprisoned in Iran. He is reportedly in poor health
from his time behind bars.
Pastor Behnam Irani (Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)
Irani was convicted of so-called
crimes against national security after his house church was raided in
2010. Then, in 2014, Irani was confronted with 18 more charges,
including a capital crime.
Irani’s was a religious freedom case the international community has been watching — though it is
par for the course in Iran. The country became an Islamic Republic in
1979, and life has been difficult for minority religions since then.
However, Emily Fuentes with Open Doors USA says Iran’s hard-line Muslim rule has also left many citizens dissatisfied and searching for truth.
“The majority of the population [in
Iran] is actually under 30, and it’s a disillusioned youth. There’s a
huge problem of drug abuse in the country, they just do not agree with
how the government is treating them, and there’s no opportunities for
them. So it’s those that desperately need hope and desperately need
light, and that’s where the Gospel comes in and why it’s so appealing to
them. It offers the hope and light they’re seeking.”
There are still around 200 Christians imprisoned in Iran who need your prayers.
“First and foremost, our prayers are
absolutely vital. We see amazing situations come from our prayers,
prisoners who have been released in the past, early. And they also say
they feel our prayers as they’re encountering these difficult times in
prison,” says Fuentes.
“Prayers help them to remain strong in their faith, to witness to other prisoners. And they realize
their ministry, even though it’s within prison, is still very
prominent. They’re reaching out to people who haven’t heard the Gospel
before, those who really need the Gospel, and people are coming to
Christ in prison.”
According to Open Doors USA’s World Watch List, Iran is ranked ninth harshest country on Christians.
“The amazing news is, of all
countries in the region, [Iran is] the most rapidly growing for the sake
of the Gospel. The underground church is just growing at a rapid rate….
Sometimes persecution is what ignites the flame to allow the Gospel to
spread in some of these countries.”
Open Doors serves and advocates for
persecuted Christians around the world. Fuentes says the process of
advocacy can be delicate, but the well-being and encouragement of our
suffering brothers and sisters in Christ is always their aim.
“Whenever there are opportunities for
an openness to talk to a government official, Open Doors does try to
provide petitions and other resources. It’s just really dependent on the
time and how receptive different officials are to it. Sometimes, in
this country in particular, certain advocacy efforts can make it worse.
So we always try to work with the timing and situation to find other
avenues for people to advocate when it’ll do more good than harm.”