5th August, 2015
Religious freedom advocacy Christian Solidarity Worldwide has welcomed the early release of a Christian man jailed in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison on “unwarranted” national security charges but say hundreds of others remain “unjustly detained” for similar offences.
UK-based organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide welcomed news that Alireza Seyyedian, a member of the Church of Iran who had reportedly run his own house church, had been released on 27th July, several days before his expected release date of 1st August, after serving more than three-and-a-half years in prison for national security-related offences.
CSW said Mr Seyyedian had been initially arrested in June, 2010, after he had been baptised in Turkey but was released after posting $US50,000 bail. He was subsequently rearrested in March, 2012, as he attempted to return to Turkey.
The organisation said Mr Seyyadian’s lawyer stated that his client’s baptism in Turkey had been interpreted as a deliberate attempt to demonstrate a lack of religious freedom in Iran and noted that at his trial, the judge had commented that there were “enough priests in Iran to baptise him” and concluded Mr Seyyadian had been “progagating against the regime”.
During his imprisonment, Mr Seyyedian is known to have spent time in solitary confinement and has experienced ill health while, outside the prison, his family members had threats made against them.
Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW, said while the organisation welcomed Mr Seyyedian’s release “we do not forget hundreds of others who are still unjustly detained on unwarranted security-related charges”.
“CSW encourages the Iranian authorities to release all those imprisoned on such charges, to ensure due civil process and to guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief as articulated in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party.”
– DAVID ADAMS
