A Christian pastor has been sentenced to one of the worst prisons in the world after already enduring harassment, interrogations, exorbitant fines, and imprisonment.
Pastor Matthias Abdolreza Ali-Haghnejad (a friend of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, whom we helped free from death row years ago) was arrested when his house church's Christmas party was raided by the Iranian government. His wife was later charged with "propaganda against the state."
Pastor Matthias – who has endured multiple arrests and imprisonments for his faith since 2006 – was then wrongfully sentenced to 6 more years in prison for a "crime" of which he was supposedly acquitted in 2014.
Pastor Matthias was suddenly exiled to Minab Prison (known for executions and inhumane conditions), almost 1,000 miles from his wife and daughter. Iranian authorities are known to punish Christian prisoners with this severe isolation.
We are advocating for Pastor Matthias at the U.N., demanding that Iran free him. Christians should not be imprisoned for peacefully practicing their faith.
Help us save Pastor Matthias.