Freed Iranian Christian women still face charges
Two Iranian Christian women, detained for 259 days because of their Christian faith, were released from Iran’s notorious Evin prison on 18 November, but the pair still face charges of converting from Islam, says the charity Release International.
Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad had been detained since March, charged with and sharing their Christian faith.
At one stage the women, who were released without bail, also faced charges of 'anti-state activity'.
Maryam and Marzieh had earlier refused to covert back to Islam. They were held in Evin prison, which has a fearsome reputation, where their health has deteriorated.
“Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to his people who have prayed and worked for our release,” they told Elam Ministries.
“But it’s not over yet,” warns Andy Dipper, CEO of Release International, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide. “Maryam and Marzieh are under surveillance and still face trial. Pray that the charges would be dropped.”
The Iranian Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of a mandatory death sentence for any man who leaves the Islamic faith. The Islamic Penal Code Bill would have imposed a life sentence on women leaving Islam – such as Maryam and Marzieh.
A Parliamentary Committee later recommended dropping the death penalty clause, but there is still a possibility that the harsh penalties for apostasy may be reinstated by the Iranian Parliament and Guardian Council.
