Pastor "Hossein Soudmand", a person who was executed for his beliefs

Pastor Hossein Soudmand was an Iranian priest who was executed in Mashhad for his beliefs.

Last Tuesday, December 3, was the anniversary of the killing of Pastor Hussein Soudmand, who took his own life because of his religious beliefs.

Seyyed Hossein Soudmand was an Iranian priest whose parents separated when he was a child and he spent his childhood with his mother. He spent his military service in Ahvaz where he met an Armenian and this acquaintance turned into a friendship, then Hossein Soudmand was introduced to Christianity through this friend and converted to Christianity.

He returned to Mashhad after his military service, but his family disowned him and kicked him out of the house when they found out that their son had converted to Jesus Christ. He went to Isfahan, where he worked in a Christian hospital. He was fired from his job in 1979 when the Islamic government came to power and returned to his hometown.

In Mashhad, he was also severely pressured to renounce his beliefs, but he refused, and his refusal to renounce his beliefs led to him being sent to prison. After a while, he was temporarily released from prison, but he was sent back to prison. After enduring years of imprisonment and insisting on his beliefs, he was finally executed in Mashhad on December 3, 1990.

There were other priests in Iran, such as Priest Aristotle Sayyah and Priest Hayek Hospian, who were also murdered by the Islamic State. Not only priests, but many other Christians also lost their lives for standing up for their beliefs.

Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of the killing of Pastor Hussein Soudmand, who was executed by the Islamic State, but his memory still lives on.