Pastor sentenced to death in Iran
Yousef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor living in Iran, will be hanged for apostasy after he repeatedly refused to recant his Christian faith. Pastor Nadarkhani was arrested in his home city of Rasht on 13 October 2009 while attempting to register his church. He named himself a shepherd of a Christian church in Rasht, Gilan on February 24.
In 2011, an Iranian court imposed a death sentence on Nadarkhani, which immediately generated international condemnation.
The pastor was informed about the court verdict in custody this Tuesday, Rasha News reports. According to the source, he might be hanged at any moment.
The United States has condemned the conviction of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, saying the Iranian court roughly violated the spiritual values and the constitution of Iran.
"That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran's own international obligations. A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens," said the White House.
