14th September, 2004

Ten Pentecostal pastors and elders of Iran’s Assemblies of God Church arrested have been released, a Christian news agency reported yesterday (Monday, 13th September).

Compass news agency, which has close contacts with persecuted Christians, quoted an unidentified Iranian source as saying that the group was released Sunday “quite late in the night".

They were arrested four days earlier together with 70 other Assemblies of God representatives, when police raided their meeting at a church center in Karaj, 32 kilometers west of the capital Tehran.

Iranian security forces reportedly blindfolded all men and women present and interrogated them. All detainees were released by nightfall except for the 10 pastors and elders, the church confirmed.

News about their release came just hours after Springfield-based U.S. Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) urged its supporters to pray for the detained group.

"Iranian brethren contacted AGWM to call the Body of Christ to prayer," said Mark Hausfeld, Area Director for AGWM's Central Eurasia Missions in a statement obtained by BosNewsLife. 

Compass quoted church sources as saying that "were not given any reason for their arrested, although they were asked "many questions about themselves and each other".

- STEFAN J. BOS, chief international correspondent,  BosNewsLife