Uncertain Times for post-Kim Jong Il North Korea; Final Verdict on Yousef Nadarkhani Case Delayed

The Death of a Dictator

2011 has been a hard year for oppressive governments. Protestors forced the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt to step down. Armed militias in Libya, with some NATO backing eventually killed Gaddafi and put his body on display. The rumbles of revolution shook autocratic governments from Morocco to China, drawing promises of reform from some and brutal crackdown from others.Now in the last month of 2011 the North Korean government has announced that Kim Jong Il, the violent and erratic dictator of North Korea died of a heart attack last week. Kim Jong Il, who assumed power in 1994, is responsible for recklessly pursuing nuclear weapons while the North Korean people starved and killing dissidents, reformers and members of any religion except the cult of personality which worships his father Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Un, the third son of Kim Jong Il, has been groomed to take his father’s place and continue the program of death and destruction which has killed over 3 million North Koreans and reduced the nation to a poverty stricken wreck held together only by the military. This time of transition will be a delicate one, with internal conflicts between high-ranking North Korean generals or a renewal of hostilities with South Korea and the U.S. very possible.

While we pray that Kim Jong Un will rule well and begin to heal the wounds of his country, we are very aware that a time of insecurity and thus increased persecution is imminent. We must pray for the people of North Korea at this critical time.

Reprieve Without Freedom

Despite the massive expressions of outrage regarding the case of Yousef Nadarkhani, this Iranian pastor remains in prison. As you know Yousef was arrested for protesting the mandatory Muslim indoctrination of his children, charged with apostasy and imprisoned in 2009. Over the past two years Nadarkhani has suffered torture, seen his wife imprisoned, weathered threats that his children would be sent to a Muslim orphanage.Unable to shake this pastor’s faith, the Iranian government sentenced him to death for apostasy. His case was appealed all the way up to the Iranian Supreme Court, but in the end the courts verbally sentenced him to death on September 25,  2011. Fortunately the response from the free world has put Iran under enormous pressure for blatantly violating one of the most basic rights of the human soul.

Fearing the international response if they  execute him and the internal response if they release him, the government of Iran engaged in a series of delaying tactics, trying to stall until the furor dies down. The most recent announcement from the head of the Iranian Judicial system indicates that there will be no final decision until March or April.

Jubilee Campaign rejoices that the outcry on Yousef’s behalf has been so effectual. We believe that the Lord has granted us this time to raise even more support before we deliver our petition in February. We pray that our efforts along with all those fighting for Yousef’s freedom will grow to the point where Iran cannot ignore them.

In the meantime we urge you all to pray that the Lord will preserve Yousef’s life. While Yousef is the first Christian to be publicly condemned for apostasy in two decades Iranian prisons are run by Muslim extremists and extrajudicial executions are common. Despite the danger, we recognize that God has his hand over Pastor Nadarkhani and we pray that he and the many other pastors and evangelists imprisoned in Iran will be released soon.

Jubilee Campaign Netherlands Launches SaveNadarkhani.com

Jubilee Campaign’s Netherlands Branch has launched SaveNadarkhani.com to raise awareness of about Yousef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who was condemned to death for converting from Islam to Christianity. Over the past several years Pastor Yousef has endured torture, threats to his life, and finally a death sentence for simply following the faith he sincerely holds. Infuriated and threatened by his refusal to deny Christ the Iranian authorities imprisoned his wife and threatened his children. Then they publicly condemned him to death for apostasy, the first such condemnation in twenty years. As the clock ticks down toward Yousef’s execution, Jubilee Campaign is collecting signatures calling for Yousef’s release which we will deliver to the Iranian embassy in the Netherlands, one of the last Iranian embassies left in the free world.

A History of Neglect
For years the West has failed to effectively respond to Iran’s ongoing human rights abuses, particularly the ones relating to religious freedom. Instead, the U.S. in particular chose to focus on the nuclear issue to the detriment of the human rights agenda. While the talks and pressure have utterly failed to deter Iran from its nuclear ambitions this tactic has communicated to Iran’s leaders that the West does not particularly care about religious freedom in Iran.

However, the news of Pastor Yousef’s death sentence drew an overwhelming response from people throughout the free world. The Government of Iran fell back on classic Big Lie tactics common to oppressive governments. False charges of rape and espionage were created out of whole cloth, and Iranian embassies around the world posted press releases “explaining” the Nadarkhani case. Faced with an impending international incident, the local court which condemned Pastor Yousef to death appealed for judgement from the highest authority in Iran, the Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Dictator’s Dilemma
Understand that if ever there was a judicial decision that is purely political, this is it. The Ayatollah Khamenei does not wish to cause an international incident, especially at a time when relations between the west and Iran are already so strained. However he cannot afford to appear to pander to a Christian, particularly when Iran’s internal political scene is so vigorous. Khamenei did not get to be the undisputed ruler of one of the world’s most oppressive governments by being foolish.

Confronted with an unexpected international response while simultaneously dealing with strident internal extremists, Khamenei is trying to wait out the storm. According to the last reports we have received, Nadarkhani’s fate will be announced during late December, at the height of the holiday season. The fickle nature of the western public has helped dictators in the past and it could help Khamenei now.

Iranian executions are carried out very quickly, often on the same day that the verbal announcement is made. If Khamenei makes the announcement around Christmas Yousef would likely be dead before the Western public comes up for air. This is the best case scenario for Khamenei. He communicates a brutal message to the Iranian Christians, soothes the extremists in his own government, and assumes that any Western response will be minimal.

A Call To Action
This course of action depends on the idea that we the people of the western democracies are fickle and unconcerned with the life of an poor pastor halfway round the world. We must show the government of Iran that we have not forgotten, that Pastor Yousef is not alone. Jubilee Campaign is collecting signatures for a petition which we will deliver to the Iranian Embassy in the Netherlands just before Christmas, when we expect the announcement will be made. We want to emphasize, the government of Iran wants Pastor Yousef dead. We encourage you all to go to the website and sign the petition protesting the imprisonment of Yousef Nadarkhani and calling for his release.

Resources
Click Here to Sign the Petition
Click Here to see tweets about #Nadarkhani and add your own.
Click Here to go to the Save Yousef Nadarkhani Facebook Page
Click Here to download a poster which you can put up at your churches or other public bulletin boards.
Click Here to download a background pamphlet explaining the history of the case.

Most of all, please continue praying for Pastor Yousef and for the all of the Christians suffering in Iran.

Help Save Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani

We want to thank those of you who responded to our earlier, brief email regarding the death sentence received by Pastor Yousef. We wanted to take the time to send out a more extensive email detailing the history of Pastor Yousef’s case, along with our Press Release and materials for use in your churches. While this atrocious miscarriage of justice has drawn condemnation from Speaker John Boehner, the State Department, the White House and dozens of members of Congress, Pastor Yousef remains in prison with a death sentence hanging over his head. That is why we are sending you materials to help you spread the word. We want you to talk about this with your friends and pray for Pastor Yousef in your churches. The Iranian government may be trying to wait for the furor in the western media to die down so that they can execute Pastor Yousef quietly. We must continue crying out until he is released.

The History: Service to God

Pastor Yousef grew up in a Muslim household but like many in Iran, the bloody rule of the Ayatollahs pushed him away from religion. He served no God and lived a life of darkness until the light of Christ reached him at 19 years old. Having found satisfaction in the Gospel, Yousef immediately began to share it with those around him, and he became the pastor of a church in his hometown in northern Iran. God blessed him with a wife and children and despite the danger of a government crackdown, Pastor Yousef continued to share the Gospel and his church grew to around four hundred members.

The Crime: Apostasy

The local authorities hated and feared the growing Christian community in their midst. They were just waiting for an opportunity to strike. Opportunity came in the form of a new law, requiring the religious indoctrination of all Iranian children into Islam the specific version of Islam favored by the elite Islamic clergy that rules the country. Pastor Yousef protested the indoctrination of his children and was promptly arrested in his hometown of Rasht on October 13, 2009. However, soon after his arrest, the charges were changed from unlawful protesting to apostasy. Apostasy, defined as leaving Islam, cannot be found in Iran’s penal code and the investigation necessary to prove apostasy openly violates Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution, which forbids the investigation or punishment of anyone solely on the basis of their religious belief. The local authorities did not let these technicalities stop them and soon the sentence came down.

The Sentence: Death

After the initial death sentence Yousef was imprisoned awaiting his appeal at the Supreme Court. Iranian authorities used every means at their disposal to try to force Pastor Yousef to deny his faith. In addition to the ever-present threat of death, they held him incommunicado, tortured him, imprisoned his wife and threatened his children. Even his lawyer, Mohammad Dadkah, a valiant Muslim advocate for human rights, was suspended from practicing law and sentenced to 9 years in prison for supporting the cause of freedom in Iran. After years in prison, the Iranian Supreme Court remanded his case back to the local court that initially sentenced Pastor Yousef to death. Despite multiple violations of international law and Iran’s own Constitution, the Iranian court held a series of hearings calling on him to recant his Christian convictions. When he refused they once again sentenced Pastor Yousef to death on September 25, 2011.

The Response: Outrage

By the time the second death sentence was handed down the case had drawn considerable international attention. First prominent pastors, journalists, and musicians tweeted about #Nadarkhani. Then news agencies such as the Washington Times and Fox News pushed the issue into the mainstream. A wave of private and public diplomatic efforts reached to Tehran telling them that this lone Christian pastor was not alone, and that executing him would draw the ire of the entire free world. Faced with a decision above their pay-grade, the courts passed the buck all the way to the top. Now only the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Grand Ayatollah Khamenei can spare Yousef’s life.

Our Request: Keep Up the Pressure.

We want to emphasize, the government of Iran wants Pastor Yousef dead. The massive grassroots response and high-level advocacy carried out to date has only given Yousef a stay of execution. If our attention flags, that stay could prove only too temporary.

Click Here to download the poster which you can put up at your churches or other public bulletin boards.
Click Here to download a background pamphlet explaining the history of the case.
Feel free to print out our Press Release on Pastor Yousef, which is below.

Most of all, please continue praying for Pastor Yousef and for the all of the Christian suffering in Iran.

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Press Release

Jubilee Campaign Calls For the Immediate Release of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani

The Government of Iran recently condemned Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani to death for ‘leaving Islam’, in blatant violation of their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Jubilee Campaign calls on the United States and the international community to forcefully address this public violation of Iran’s obligations under international covenant and press for the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani.

Today Jubilee Campaign, an advocate for international religious freedom, adds their voice to the chorus of cries from the human rights community calling for the release of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani. While the government of Iran habitually harasses and persecutes Christians and other religious minorities, last month they shocked the world by publicly condemning a man to death for apostasy, the crime of leaving Islam. Though reports of torture and extrajudicial killings of religious minorities abound, Iran has not formally executed anyone for apostasy since Pastor Hossein Soosmand in 1990.

Jubilee Campaign calls attention to the fact that the charge of apostasy, which cannot be found anywhere in Iran’s penal code, attacks the human right to leave one’s religion for another religion or no religion at all. This right is enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Iran ratified without reservation. Jubilee Campaign calls on the United States to address this blatant and public violation of Iran’s international obligations. In addition to the manner in which the charges violate Iran’s international obligations, the formal investigation or punishment of a person on the basis of their religious beliefs violates Article 23 of Iran’s own Constitution.

Leaving aside the illegal charges and the unconstitutional investigation, Pastor Yousef claims that he does not meet the definition of genuine apostasy because he was never a Muslim. Until he became a Christian at 19 years old he did not believe in any God at all. Pastor Yousef’s story is not uncommon in Iran. The association of Islam with the Ayatollah’s reign of blood and terror has created a great deal of disillusionment with religion, particularly among younger generations of Iranians. Unfortunately for this growing segment of Iranian society, the death sentence against Pastor Youcef redefines apostasy as leaving the religion of one’s ancestors, a precedent with grave implications for any Iranian with a Muslim background.

“Clearly,” says Ann Buwalda, Executive Director of Jubilee Campaign, “the international community must hold the Iranian government accountable and prevent this unjust execution. Media and governments around the world must speak out and break the silence that condemns this innocent men to death.”