Photo: Article18
In January 2019, Mehdi Akbari was arrested along with fellow Christian converts during coordinated raids on their homes. In October 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for "acting against national security" by "forming an illegal evangelical Christian group." During the trial, which lasted mere minutes, the judge ridiculed the believer's faith and referred to Christianity as a "deviant religion."
Mehdi, who prefers to go by Yasser, was a single parent whose only son, Amir-Ali, had cerebral palsy. Upon Yasser's detention, the 18-year-old boy was sent to a care facility in Tehran. In December 2021, the detained Christian father received news that Amir-Ali had passed away due to health complications. Despite pleas to the court, Yasser was not given leave to attend the burial of his son. Thankfully, he had been granted a short visit two months before his son died.
After serving three years in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, the Christian man continues to suffer from the trauma of his grievous situation. A letter was recently smuggled out of the prison, giving a first-hand account of the struggles he has been facing.
Yasser describes how he was being tortured in the Tehran prison while his terminally ill son lay dying outside its confining walls. Now, more than a year and a half later, Yasser states that he still carries his grief within him "like a suppressed cry and an unexpressed sorrow." After describing the final visit he had with his son while surrounded by prison officials, he writes, "I consider the best moment of my life to be the last time I hugged my Amir-Ali."
In his letter, Yasser also reflects on the charges against him. "Is worshipping God a crime?" he asks. The detained believer states that, when taken to court, he naively believed he would appear before a fair judge who would rule according to the country's constitution. "But what an illusion that was!" he adds. Having no lawyer to represent him, Yasser writes that he had no idea how to reply to the accusations that he somehow acted "against national security."
Considering his faith, Yasser writes, "When the night drags its black mantle over the prison, and the sadness sinks in with the sunset, the beats of the seconds of the clock hit like a whip in my mind, and I begin to wonder...if this faith of mine is worth enduring such pressures." But then, when Yasser ponders on his relationship with God, he receives greatly needed reassurance. "Time and time again, I have found myself surrounded with these thoughts, and each time I have answered firmly: 'Yes, of course it is worth it.'" The imprisoned believer is thankfully able to firmly testify, "I only know that I am, and will remain, a Christian; and that I will preach about the light of God and Kingdom of heaven to everyone."
Iran has been described as a country that is home to the fastest growing church in the world, with an estimated one million Christian converts from Muslim backgrounds. The Islamic theocratic government has actively fought against this growth, imprisoning many followers of Jesus, including Yasser. For more details, go to our country report.
Praise God for Yasser's resilient faithfulness to the Lord, despite his painful circumstances. Please keep this dear Christian brother in your prayers, asking that he would soon be released from captivity and that, in the meantime, he will be granted continued strength of heart, mind and body. Finally, pray that God will continue working mightily throughout Iran by leading many to faith in Christ – including the country's opposing governmental and judicial officials.
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