Morgan Ortagus condemns 80-lash sentence against Christian convert in Iran
The US State Department spokesperson condemned Iran's decision to execute an Iranian Christian convert to 80 lashes on the pretext of drinking wine during the "Holy Communion" religious ceremony.
Morgan Ortagus tweeted on Friday, October 15: “We are deeply saddened by reports that Iran has sentenced Mohammad Reza Omidi to 80 lashes for drinking the Eucharist. He was previously imprisoned for two years for being a member of a house church. We condemn these unjust punishments and call on Iran to allow all Iranians to freely practice their [religious] beliefs.”
According to some human rights news agencies, the sentence of 80 lashes for Mohammad Reza (Yohan) Omidi, a Christian convert from Rasht, who was sentenced in September 2017 on charges of "drinking alcohol" during communion services, was carried out on Wednesday morning, October 13, at the Rasht prosecutor's office.
This Christian convert was arrested by security officers on May 14, 2016, during a ceremony held at a private home in Rasht, and was later temporarily released on bail pending the outcome of the trial. He was finally arrested in August 2018 to serve his sentence in Rasht and transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran.
This Christian convert was sentenced to ten years in prison in July 2017, along with Yousef Nadarkhani, Yaser Mosayibzadeh, and Saheb Fadaei, by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of “establishing a house church” and “promoting Christianity.” This sentence was changed to two years in prison and two years of exile to Borazjan County in Bushehr Province in early July of this year, upon the acceptance of a request for a retrial.
Mohammad Reza (Yohan) Omidi was released from Evin Prison in late June of this year. After a month, he went to Borazjan to serve his two-year exile sentence, and is currently serving his exile.
Earlier, in late June of this year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unveiled the US annual report on international religious freedom, 33 pages of which were dedicated to the state of religious freedom in Iran; the report stated that in 2019, the Islamic Republic continued to harass, interrogate, and detain Baha'is, non-Armenian Christians - especially those who have converted to Christianity (converts) - Sunni Muslims, and other religious minorities.
The US State Department report states that the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Iran and therefore has not had the opportunity to express concerns about violations of religious freedom and related restrictions in bilateral meetings, and the US government continues to call on the Islamic Republic to respect religious freedom.
Source: Voice of America
