We continue to pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini and his family.
Pastor Saeed is today still being held in an Iranian prison and many, including us here at FGGAM, do not understand how the president could possibly not make the pastor a main issue in their talks with the Iranian government.
The American Center for Law and Justice agrees. They state, the Obama administration should never have struck a deal with Iran without part of the terms being the release of imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini and other Americans being held in Iranian prisons. ACLJ Chief counsel Jay Sekulow said, President Obama and Secretay of State John Kerry turned their back on their fellow Americans. Following the announcement of a deal over Iran’s nuclear program, Sekulow said, “It is outrageous and a betrayal of Pastor Saeed Abedini who has spent more than a year in an Iranian prison simply because of his Christian faith.”
“The Obama administration has left Pastor Saeed behind. And by failing to secure his release as a precondition to any negotiations, the Obama administration sends a troubling message to the Iranian government that Americans are expendable,” Sekulow concluded. The ACLJ has been working worldwide to obtain the release of Pastor Saeed who has been in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ. Saeed was in Iran to help open an orphanage when he was arrested, tried and sentenced to eight years in prison. Recently, the pastor was moved from the nortoriously bad Evin Prison to the even harsher Rajai Shahr Prison which is known for brutal murders and unexplained deaths of its prisoners. Iran frequently transfers prisoners to Rajai Shahr to get them out of sight of human rights groups and the media. The Iranian-American pastor has been tortured and abused and has often been refused medical treatment and medication. Despite all this, the pastor has not denied Christ. It is reported that the pastor has led at least 30 people to faith in Jesus during his imprisonment.
Naghmeh Abedini, Saeed’s wife, has spoken before Congress, the United Nations and to national and international media with the hope of helping see her husband freed. These efforts have obviously had little effect on Congress or the president’s administration, or the president himself. Naghmeh said God is using the situation to further the Gospel through Saeed in the prisons – and through her in every speech she has made. Previously, Naghmeh has said that God, not Iran, will free Saeed.
We pray for success as the ACLJ continues an online social media campaign on behalf of Pastor Saeed and other persecuted Christians around the world. It unfortunately does not appear the United States government will be providing much effort or help!