THE United States government has called on Iran to release Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani forthwith.
The US administration which had not spoken out against the imprisonment of the Iranian pastor till recently decided to voice its protest over the incarceration of the pastor and the treatment meted out to him by the Iranian government.
After nearly 200,000 Americans petitioned the US government to intervene on behalf of an Iranian pastor facing death for his faith, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has finally called for his release.
“Today, we call on every government to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally, including Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani,” Clinton said.
Nadarkhani, 34, was sentenced to die in 2009 for leaving the Islamic faith despite his claims that he was never a Muslim.
The American Center for Law and Justice, who launched the petition to save the pastor’s life, was pleased by this latest development.
“We appreciate Secretary of State Clinton’s strong statement in support of Pastor Youcef,” Jordon Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ, said in a statement recently.
“We will continue working with the State Department in fighting for Pastor Youcef’s release, as we expect a decision from Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later this month,” he pledged.
