Three Christian men from Azerbaijan have finally been released after months of imprisonment in Iran, but Open Doors USA says they still need prayers from fellow believers since they can still be rearrested and imprisoned anew.
The three were earlier arrested for attending a marriage ceremony, which Iranian authorities perceived to be a public display of faith, Mission Network News reported, citing information from Open Doors USA.
Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov, and Bahram Nasibov were released on bail last Sunday and were able to return to their respective families in Azerbaijan. The three Christian men were taken into custody by Iranian authorities along with seven other individuals while they were attending a friend's wedding back in June.
While the others were immediately released, Eldar, Yusif and Bahram, along with another Iranian Christian, were held by the authorities without explanation in Evin Prison in northwestern Tehran, where political prisoners are usually detained.
While in prison, the three Christian men from Azerbaijan were reportedly kept in solitary confinement facilities and interrogated. They were also denied any form of legal assistance, and their families were not even notified on their whereabouts.
To help the detained Christians, Open Doors—which extends assistance to persecuted Christians worldwide—launched a petition asking the government of Iran to set them free and let them practice their religion freely. Thousands of Christians signed this petition.
"We know that it's mixed with that effort, mixed with the prayers around the world that we have the amazing news that they've been released on bail. So we're praising God today for this good story!" Emily Fuentes of Open Doors USA told Mission Network News.
She nevertheless urged Christians to still pray for their freed fellow faithful from Azerbaijan, saying that they are still facing threats of being rearrested for their religious beliefs.
"That can happen in this country and it has. But we're thankful they're out of prison, because that's also not the fate for many Christians... Pray for them and pray that God would truly allow it so they could be set free," Fuentes said.
