Friends and relatives of Suroush Saraie are pleased to
announce that he was released from prison yesterday, 11th November.
Suroush Saraie and Mohammad Roghangir were arrested on
5th July 2014 in Bandar Azali in northern Iran. They were taken to prison in Shiraz
in order to serve sentences handed down in July 2013.
Suroush and Mohammad were among seven arrested in Shiraz
when a prayer meeting was raided on 12th October 2012 as part of a wider
campaign of intimidation by Iranian authorities against Christians and other
religious minorities. Those arrested were affiliated with the self-styled
'Church of Iran' network.
In July 2013 those arrested were convicted of
"action against national security" and "propaganda against the
order of the system". Suroush was sentenced to two and a half years in
prison and Mohammad received a sentence of six years. In July 2014 they started
serving their sentences in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz. The others, who were
sentenced to terms varying from one to five years, were also summoned to prison
in Shiraz over the following months.
Suroush and his family rejoice at his release, but former
prisoners often continue to experience hardship. In some cases released
prisoners have been pressurised by security officials to become informers. Many
former prisoners suffer psychological trauma and struggle to find employment.
Iranian Christians request our prayers that:
a Suroush will
quickly recover from his imprisonment and that he and his family will be
strengthened in the Lord and adapt to normal family life
b. those who remain in prison, including
Mohammad and the others from Shiraz, will be comforted and released soon
c. all prisoners in Iran will be treated
with respect and dignity as beings created in the image of God
d. all officials involved will love mercy, act
justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him
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Middle East Concern
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