Pastor Hossein Soudmand: A Man Executed Because of His Faith

Pastor Hossein Soudmand was an Iranian pastor who was executed in Mashhad because of his faith.

Yesterday, Tuesday, December 3rd, marked the anniversary of the death of Pastor Hossein Soudmand, who lost his life because of the religious beliefs he held.

Seyyed Hossein Soudmand was an Iranian pastor whose parents separated when he was a child, and he spent his childhood with his mother. He served his military service in Ahvaz, where he met an Armenian person, and this acquaintance turned into a friendship. Through this friend, Hossein Soudmand became acquainted with Christianity and converted to the faith.

After completing his military service, he returned to Mashhad; however, when his family discovered that their son had believed in Jesus Christ, they rejected him and expelled him from the house. He went to Isfahan and worked in a Christian hospital there. In 1979, when the Islamic government came to power, he was dismissed from his job and returned to his hometown.

In Mashhad, he was also severely pressured because of his beliefs to renounce his faith, but he refused. His refusal to abandon his beliefs led to his imprisonment. After some time, he was temporarily released from prison but was soon imprisoned again. After years of enduring imprisonment and persisting in his faith, he was finally executed in Mashhad on December 3rd, 1990.

There were other pastors in Iran, such as Pastor Aristobulus Sepas and Pastor Haik Hovsepian, who were also killed by the Islamic government. Not only pastors, but many other Christians also lost their lives for standing by their beliefs and faith.

Yesterday marked the thirty-fourth anniversary of the death of Pastor Hossein Soudmand, who was executed by the Islamic government, but his memory and legacy remain.