There is growing pressure in this country and abroad to demand that Iran release Pastor Youcef, a Christian who is facing the death penalty because of his Christian faith.
A bipartisan effort in Congress is now underway – led by Congressmen Joe Pitts (R-PA-) and Heath Shuler (D-NC). This Congressional delegation is urging Secretary of State Clinton to “use all the powers at your disposal” for “swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release.”
Even Congressional leaders are demanding the release of Pastor Youcef, including House Speaker John Boehner who called the situation “distressing for people of every country and creed.”
The media coverage of this case continues to grow with news organizations in this country and abroad now adding even more attention to this troubling life-or-death case. You can read more about the media coverage here.
And, just this week, we have sent a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights calling on that international body to take immediate action:
“This death sentence has tremendous implication for all Christians and religious minorities in Iran, and is yet another indicator of the regime’s disregard for basic human rights and freedoms. ‘The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused.’ (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom – Annual Report 2011)
Before another innocent man loses his life, we urge you to take a stand against Iran’s violation of human rights. We urge you to call upon the Iranian government and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Youcef. We also urge you to immediately undertake a fact-finding mission into Iran requesting an in-person investigation into this case with access to both Pastor Youcef and his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah. Finally, we urge you to press the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to publicly denounce this case and other violations of human rights in Iran.”
We are doing all that we can to continue to put pressure on Iran and secure the release of Pastor Youcef. In just a matter of days, more than 100,000 Americans have signed on to our petition to save Pastor Youcef. If you haven’t added your name yet, please sign our petition now.
As developments unfold in this rapidly changing story, stay in touch and get the latest updates on our website here.
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