Release Order Issued for “Yaser Akbari,” Christian Citizen, After Serving 5 Years in Prison
The release order for “Yaser Akbari,” a Christian citizen, was issued yesterday, Sunday, after serving 5 years in prison.
In October 2020, Yaser Akbari was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by judge “Mohammad Moghisseh” on the charge of “acting against national security by establishing a house church,” due to his Christian faith and peaceful religious activities.
His request for retrial during his imprisonment was rejected four consecutive times by the Supreme Court, and Branch 21 of the Court of Appeals reduced his prison sentence from 10 years to 4 years and 5 months. However, Yaser Akbari spent more than 4 years and 9 months—exceeding his sentence—in Evin Prison.
Last summer (2023), he published a letter from inside Evin Prison, describing his deprivation of legal representation, severe white torture, psychological harassment in prison, and baseless 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 court’s judges, there was no sufficient legal grounds for imposing a harsher punishment on him. He was ultimately released from prison yesterday evening, Sunday, October 29, 2024, after serving 4 years and 9 months in prison. Upon his release from Evin Prison, he was welcomed by members of his family and his Christian friend “Mahdi Rohparvari.”
Harassment, detention, torture, and imposition of lengthy prison sentences against Christian citizens on baseless and fabricated charges by security agencies have continued from past decades until now, sending many Christians to prison.
In recent months, United Nations experts also issued a letter to the Islamic Republic’s authorities stating: “The Iranian government views Christian worship through a security lens and by raiding homes and gatherings, sends them to prison on vague charges such as acting against national security.”
