The Voice of the Martyrs welcomes the news of the acquittal of lay pastor Hamid Pourmand on charges of apostasy. While Pourmand continues to serve a three year sentence for allegedly deceiving the military by not revealing that he was a Christian, an Islamic court judge has acquitted him on the charges of apostasy, which could have resulted in the death sentence. During the May 28 court hearing, the judge reportedly told Pourmand, "I don’t know who you are, but apparently the rest of the world does." The judge had received numerous requests from government officials to drop the charges, apparently because of international pressure. Instead of simply dropping the charges, the judge acquitted him saying that he had done nothing wrong under Islamic law.
Iran Update: Lay Pastor Acquitted
- Current Ministry Fund
By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.
Project Fund: Underground Church
- Country Information
Designation
PersecutedPopulation
87,590,873 (2023 est.)Ethnicity
Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribesReligion (%)
Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)Government type
Theocratic republicLegal system
Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic lawSource: CIA World Factbook
- Pray for Iran
As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.
