Concerns for Iranian pastor despite reports of annulled death sentence

Christian Solidarity Worldwide says doubts have been raised over reports that the death penalty has been overturned for an Iranian pastor.

The Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday that Iran’s supreme court had decided to annul Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani’s death sentence for apostasy.

CSW said Christians in Iran had challenged the report. The organisation stated that there had still been no written confirmation of the court’s decision on Nadarkhani’s appeal and that this was due to be given to his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, next week.

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy last year, despite apostasy not being codified within Iran’s civil law.

Sentences for apostasy are generally overturned if the accused repents. CSW said that rather than annulling Nadarkhani’s sentence, the supreme court appeared to have added a precondition requiring him to recant his faith or still face execution.

CSW said judges at the supreme court may have been under political pressure not to release Nadarkhani.

There are also unconfirmed reports of a split over the verdict among the judges.

One church source told CSW: “This is not good news. It merely gives more time to-re-examine the case, but in the end the judges will be told what to do.”

Dadkhah is also facing imprisonment after a court in Tehran sentenced him on Sunday to nine years in jail and a 10-year ban on practising law or teaching at university for “actions and propaganda against the Islamic regime”.

He has 20 days to appeal the ruling but sources told CSW that he could be imprisoned within a week.

CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said he was “gravely concerned” about the judicial process in Nadarkhani’s case and the precondition to recant his faith.

He called upon Iran to respect the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of religion and freedom to change one’s religion or belief.

“Pastor Nadarkhani’s life and Mr Dadkhah’s future both hang in the balance," he said.

"The international community must act urgently to press Iran to ensure due process in both cases, and that Pastor Nadarkhani in particular is acquitted of a charge that is not in fact recognised under Iranian civil law.”