Iranian authorities have cancelled preliminary hearings against Hamid Pourmand last week, apparently in response to international press coverage of his sharia court trial. According to Compass Direct, officials told Pourmand's lawyer that he would be transferred to his home city of Bandar-i Bushehr to stand trial on charges of apostasy and proselytizing. No indication was given on the timing of his transfer nor when the trial would take place. If convicted, Pourmand faces the death penalty.
Pourmand's family continues to suffer the consequences of the charges. His military salary was suspended when he was arrested. The family was to be immediately evicted from military housing, but local authorities have allowed them to remain until the end of the current school term. According to an Iranian source, Pourmand's wife and two teenage sons feel very alone. Local church leaders are under such government pressure that they dare not have any contact with them.
Pray for strength, protection and provision for Pourmand's family. Pray for Pourmand as he is transferred to a Bandar-i Bushehr prison where conditions are described as being terrible. Pray that international pressure will continue and will result in a positive outcome for this lay pastor and his family.
The Voice of the Martyrs would encourage Canadians to write on behalf of Hamid Pourmand to the Iranian embassy in Ottawa. The address is:
Mr. Abbas ASSEMI
First Counsellor & Chargé d'Affaires
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
245 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 2K2
Telephone: (613) 235-4726
Fax: (613) 232-5712
Email:
For guidelines on how to write letters to government officials, click here.
For more details on this case and for information on the persecution facing Christians in Iran, click here.
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