The Iranian government has this evening freed Pastor Saeed Abedini and three other prisoners with dual citizenship, ending what for many has been a years-long ordeal.
Abedini, who converted to Christianity while still in Iran, immigrated to the United States in 2005. He became a U.S. citizen in 2010 but remained active in Iran’s house church movement.
He was arrested in 2012 during a trip to visit a nonsectarian orphanage he was helping to build. His wife, Naghmeh, lobbied tirelessly for his release, but supporters expressed frustration with the lack of help from the Obama administration.
Naghmeh Abedini confirmed her husband’s release on Twitter, as did Jay Sekulow with the American Center for Law and Justice, which has represented the family.
The other prisoners involved in the release have not been confirmed, but Iran was known to be holding three other Americans: Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, and businessman Siamak Namazi.
Neither the U.S. government nor Iranian officials have elaborated on the details of the release, except to say it was done “within the framework of exchanging prisoners.” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are meeting this weekend in Vienna.
editor@ugchristiannews.com
