Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) was reacted to news, reported last week by BosNewsLife and other agencies, that Mahmoud Matin Azad, in his 50s, and Arash Basirat, in his 40s, were released late September after a tribunal ruled that charges of "offence to Islam" and "diffusion of falsities" were "invalid."
Both men were detained in May by intelligence officials in the city of Shiraz, in southwestern Iran during a meeting with 13 others who were later interrogated and released. The prosecution requested the death penalty for Azad and Basirat, according to court documents.
Their release came after the European Union said it was "very worried" about the apparent deterioration of religious freedom in Iran, following the arrests of Christians as well as followers of the Baha’i religion and Sunni and Sufi Muslims.
CHURCH OFFICIALS
In addittion Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met church officials in September in New York to discuss religious freedom issues, BosNewsLife learned.
"CSW welcomes their release, but remains concerned for their safety," the group said. CSW Advocacy Director Alexa Papadouris said his group also demands that the Iranian government will ensure that "all Christians and Bahá’Ãs being held in detention for their religious beliefs are released immediately."
The situation for non-Muslims living in Iran is deteriorating under the populist policies of President Ahmadinejad, CSW added. "We urge the Iranian government to respect the right to freedom of religion for all its citizens in accordance with international human rights standards and to drop the draft bill which could codify the death penalty for apostasy”.
DOZENS DETAINED
At least over 40 other converts remain jailed in Iran, according to rights watchers. Several converts have in the past died in mysterious situations, or were sentenced to death, including evangelical pastor Hossein Soudmand, who was hanged in 1986 in Mashad prison.
The government of President Ahmadinejad recently presented to parliament a proposal to modify the penal code and include in it the crime of abandonment of Islam, which could carry the death penalty. Britain this week condemned the planned legislation.
About 99 percent of Iran’s 65 million people are Muslims, while a quarter of a million Muslims converted to Christianity, according to conservative estimates, with church sources saying the number of Christian converts in Iran is much higher and rising. (With reporting by BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent Eric Leijenaar).
