Iran (MNN) — Last week on June 10, Christian brother Mehdi "Petros" Foroutan was released from prison in Iran, reports Voice of the Martyrs, Canada.
Foroutan served about a year in an Iranian prison for crimes against national security. In other words, he did time for following Christ.
Foroutan, 27, was one of five Iranian Christians and ministers who were convicted of crimes against the Islamic Order. They were convicted March 8, 2011 for telling Muslims the truth about Jesus Christ. Their technical crime was blasphemy.
Although the judge ruled that the five were not guilty, the prosecutor appealed the verdict.
At the time of the sentence, one of the five believers was seven months pregnant.
Now Foroutan at least has been released from prison. His time spent was very difficult, as only about a month into his sentence, Foroutan was put in solitary confinement for a period. Pray that he would overcome all of the after-effects of his imprisonment.
This is one small victory for the persecuted church in Iran, but many others remain imprisoned for their faith. Most notably, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani remains on death row in Rasht, Iran. He is still awaiting an official response from the local court regarding his September 2011 trial.
Voice of the Martyrs has several ways for free believers to encourage their persecuted brothers and sisters. Through their PrisonAlert.com, Christians can advocate on behalf of individual believers, write letters to prisoners, and become better versed in worldwide persecution.
Encourage Youcef Nadarkhani or Behnam Irani, another imprisoned Iranian pastor, here.
