The wife of a pastor imprisoned in Iran has requested a meeting with President Barack Obama during his visit to their hometown of Boise, Idaho.
Through a letter published in ACLJ, Naghmeh Abedini urged Obama to meet with her to discuss what actions the US government will take to gain her husband Saeed's freedom from the Iranian prison.
In her letter, Naghmeh reminded Obama about his pledge to protect America's citizens. "Serving as President of the United States, you have pledged to protect America – to protect our citizens. My husband loves this country," she said.
She also reiterated the United States' commitment to protect the freedom of its citizens to exercise their own religious beliefs.
"You speak about the need to protect religious freedom and human rights. Saeed is imprisoned merely because of his Christian faith," Naghmeh reminded the President in the letter.
"My husband has committed no crime – he chose to exercise his God-given right to choose his own faith," she added.
Pastor Saeed was imprisoned in Iran since 2012, for allegedly violating Iranian state security and supposedly attempting to create a Christian church network. His family say he was in the country to work on an orphanage project and was imprisoned because of his connection to the house church movement.
He was subsequently sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison, initially serving in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, before being transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison, which human rights groups say is populated by the most violent criminals in Iran.
Saeed's plight has attracted the attention of human rights groups as well as American politicians and several American senators have requested President Obama engage directly with the Iranian government to secure Saeed's release, particularly as part of its ongoing nuclear talks with the country.
"We believe this new action by the Iranian regime merits additional response. It is imperative for the United States government to speak out boldly on behalf of Pastor Saeed, at the earliest possible opportunity," the bipartisan letter from the senators said.
