Praises to the Lord. Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were finally released on Wednesday. For almost nine months the two Iranian Christian women have been held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran for refusing to deny their faith. Maryam and Marzieh are now set free without bail and they are currently at home. Although the release is great news for Maryam and Marzieh, it is not known if the release is unconditional. Literally millions of Christians around the world have been praying for their release. Their future still is uncertain. So we must keep these two brave women in our prayers...and all the Christians who are imprisoned in Iran and in other countries. In recent years Evin prison has drawn criticism by various human rights organizations for violations of basic human rights and capital punishments that are carried out in the detention center. As far as known now, Maryam and Marzieh did not face direct physical torture while being detained, but have suffered from the lack of proper health care. Their physical condition has deteriorated over time. No medical attention was given when suffering from infections, high fever and stomach aches. Marzieh was in pain because of an ongoing problem with her spine, an infected tooth only treated by painkillers, and severe headaches. Both women were arrested on March 5 by Iranian authorities without filing official charges against them. Only after a month of detention the accusations of "taking part in illegal gatherings" and "acting against state security" were made known to them.
On August 9 they had to appear in court and firmly responded to the warning that they should recant their Christian faith. "We love Jesus" is what they responded to the question if they were Christians. When the question was repeated they said; "yes, we are Christians." They responded: "We will not deny our faith" to the emphatic statement by the deputy prosecutor that they should renounce their faith in both verbal and written form.
On October 7 Maryam and Marzieh were unexpectedly taken to appear before the court. There they learned three charges were put against them: Anti-state activities, propagation of the Christian faith, and apostasy. A new judge was presiding, and unlike the previous judges, he was sympathetic. He acquitted Maryam and Marzieh from the charge of anti-state activities, which rarely happens. As a result, their case was transferred from the revolutionary court to the civil court.
Keep praying for Maryam and Marzieh since their release does not automatically mean they will be living in complete freedom now. Also pray for their health; that they can receive proper health care. Also remember the Iranian church in your prayers as the church is under a lot of pressure. Recently the Assemblies of God Church in central Tehran was summoned to stop organizing services in Farsi on Friday afternoons.
0 comments:
Post a Comment