Christian citizen Yaser Akbari released after serving 5 years in prison
The release order for Christian citizen Yaser Akbari was issued last Sunday after serving five years in prison.
In October 2020, Yaser Akbari was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh on charges of "acting against national security by forming a house church" due to his Christian beliefs and peaceful religious activity.
His request for a retrial during his imprisonment was rejected four times in a row by the Supreme Court, and Branch 21 of the Court of Appeals reduced Mr. Akbari's prison sentence from 10 years to 4 years and 5 months, but Yaser Akbari spent more than 4 years and 9 months, more than his sentence, in Evin Prison.
In the summer of last year (1402), he published a letter from inside Evin Prison, writing about his deprivation of access to a lawyer, severe physical torture and mental abuse in prison, and unfounded accusations related to national security.
Yaser Akbari's fifth retrial request was filed by his lawyers in Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, and according to the Supreme Court judges, there was no sufficient and legal reason to issue him with the harshest sentence. He was finally released from prison on Sunday evening, October 28, 1403, after serving 4 years and 9 months in prison. After his release from Evin Prison, he was welcomed by his family members and his Christian friend, "Mehdi Roohparoor."
Harassment, arrest, torture, and long-term imprisonment of Christian citizens, based on baseless and fabricated charges by security agencies, have continued for decades, sending many Christians to prison.
In recent months, UN experts issued a letter to the Islamic Republic's officials, writing: "The Iranian government views Christian worship from a security perspective and, by raiding homes and gatherings, sends them to prison on vague charges such as acting against national security."
