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January 28, 2013 | By USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The trial and conviction of Pastor Abedini represent an outrageous miscarriage of justice and yet one more damning piece of evidence pointing to the rampant denial of religious freedom and the absence of any semblance of rule of law in Iran," said Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Iran's "hanging judge” Judge Pir-Abassi on Sunday, January 27, sentenced Iranian-born American pastor Saeed Abedini to eight years in prison for "threatening the national security of Iran” because of his activity starting in 2000 in the Christian house church movement. Pastor Abedini has been in Iran since July to establish an orphanage.

"The charges against Pastor Abedini were contrived, the process was irregular and deeply flawed, and the conviction flies in the face of both Iranian and international law,” said Lantos Swett. "Judge Pir-Abassi has been responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. We call on the Iranian government to immediately release Pastor Abedini. In addition, we call on the U.S. and the international community to raise Pastor Abedini's case in all international fora, including the U.N. Human Rights Council. We reiterate our call for the U.S. government to freeze the assets and deny entry into the U.S. of Judge Pir-Abassi, and other Iranian judges and government officials who have committed violations of religious freedom and related human rights, including the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who would have had to approve the Pastor's harsh sentence.”

Pastor Abedini was convicted and sentenced four months after he was arrested in September. "Unfortunately, Pastor Abedini's case exemplifies the Iranian government's across the board assault on freedom of religion or belief,” said Lantos Swett. "Iran has intensified its persecution of Christians, including lawyers of these victims, such as Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, a prominent human rights defender who was sentenced to 10 years and who most recently defended Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and some Baha'i prisoners. The Iranian government also has intensified its attacks against Baha'is, with an increased number of arrests and detentions, including young mothers and their small children."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that Iran be designated a "country of particular concern” or CPC for its systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The State Department has designated Iran as a CPC since 1999.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact Samantha Schnitzer at (202) 786-0613.

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January 16, 2013| By USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- USCIRF today called for the immediate release of Saeed Abedeni, an Iranian-American pastor reportedly awaiting a January 21 trial on trumped-up national security charges that date back to 2000 when he lived in Iran.

Mr. Abedini married an American in 2004 and has lived in the United States since 2005. He became a U.S. citizen in 2010 and periodically has travelled back and forth to Iran. According to sources familiar with the case, Mr. Abedini was arrested in Iran in September 2012 for his involvement with the underground house church movement. Mr. Abedini's lawyer was unaware of the charges until January 14, when he was informed the trial would be held on Monday, January 21.

"The national security charges leveled against Mr. Abedini are bogus and are a typical tactic by the Iranian government to masquerade the real reason for the charges: to suppress religious belief and activity of which the Iranian government does not approve,” said USCIRF chair Katrina Lantos Swett. "USCIRF calls on the Iranian government to release Mr. Abedini immediately and unconditionally.”

Mr. Abedeni's trial reportedly is scheduled to be heard by Judge Abbas Pir-Abbassi of Branch 26 of Iran"s Revolutionary Court. "Judge Pir-Abbassi is notorious for conducting swift trials and imposing lengthy prison terms, as well as the death penalty, without any semblance of due process,” said Lantos Swett.

In 2011, under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), USCIRF called on the U.S. government to impose travel bans and asset freezes on three "hanging judges” -- Judge Pir-Abbassi, Judge Salavati, and Judge Moghiseh -- for committing serious human rights abuses against Iranian citizens, including religious minorities. In April 2011, the European Union imposed sanctions for human rights violations on all three judges. The U.S. government has yet to follow suit.

During the past year, religious freedom conditions continued to deteriorate in Iran, especially for religious minorities, most notably Baha‘is, as well as Christians and Sufi Muslims, who have experienced physical attacks, harassment, detention, arrests, and imprisonment. In recent years, high level Iranian government officials and clerics have called for an end to Christianity in the country. Supreme Leader Aytaollah Khamenei publiclystated that "enemies of Islam” are using the spread of Sufism, the Baha'i faith, and Christian house churches to weaken the faith of young people in society.

Since 1999, the State Department has designated Iran as a country of particular concern, or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF continues to recommend that Iran be designated as a CPC.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact Samantha Schnitzer at (202) 786-0613 or [email protected] .