The controversial proposal was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions, according to details released after the vote.
"The progress of this bill through the Iranian Parliament is a cause of grave concern for increasing numbers of Iranians who have left Islam for another religion," said the Britain-based influential religious rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "It is a significant backwards step for human rights in Iran."
Last week, two Christians from Muslim backgrounds, 53-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and 40-year-old Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat, were charged with apostasy at the Public and Revolutionary Court in the town of Shiraz. Prosecutors have already demanded the death penalty for the two men, who have been in detention since May 15, 2008, CSW said earlier.
"DEEPLY CONCERNED"
The group told BosNewsLife that it is "deeply concerned that Mr Matin-Azad and Mr Basirat may face capital punishment if the proposed legislation on apostasy passes unchallenged through the final parliamentary processes and is enacted into law."
Under Iran’s complicated parliamentary procedures the initial vote was a first step towards a final apostasy law. The bill will now be sent back to the Legislative Commission for possible amendments, before it is brought before parliament for a second vote, according to analysts.
CSW Advocacy Director Alexa Papadouris said it was "deeply worrying to hear that just days after Matin-Azad and Basirat have been charged with apostasy at a court in Shiraz, the Iranian Parliament is debating a bill that could codify the death penalty for someone choosing their own religion."
URGING WEST
Papadouris said CSW has urged the British Government and the European Union to protest against this new development. "We urge the Iranian Government to reject the bill and guarantee the immediate release of all who are detained on the basis of their religious beliefs alone”.
News of the vote was reportedly taken off the Iranian Parliament’s Website within hours, but several other Iranian media outlets managed to publish the decision.
