200 Days

A milestone was passed this past weekend. Saturday was the 200^th day that Pastor Saeed Abedini has been brutally held in an Iranian jail and the notorious Evin prison.

Tehran's Evin Prison

That is 200 days of captivity, 200 days of beatings, 200 days of freedom denied, 200 days of withheld medical help for his injuries, 200 days of forced separation from his friends and family, 200 days of demands to deny his faith.

While it was 177 days before Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement calling for Pastor Saeed’s release, and we remain thankful for that, it is now been more than 200 days since his imprisonment and Pastor Saeed’s president has yet to speak out on the issue.

But just because his president has been silent all this time, the rest of the world has not.  There have been calls for his release from Brazil to Geneva.  From Australia to the European Union government officials have spoken out, calling for Pastor Saeed’s release.

Initially the US State Department abandoned Pastor Saeed at the US House Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on March 15, but soon thereafter official calls for his release came both in Geneva and in Washington.

Meanwhile his supporters, led by his wife Naghmeh and her counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), continue to work hard to make his case known, both in the public eye as well as in the halls of government. More than 565,000 have already signed the petition to #SaveSaeed.

Thousands more are writing letters to their Representatives and Senators, to the State Department and, yes, even the President of the United States, urging them to become and remain involved in bringing about Pastor Saeed’s release.

Now, with his 33^rd birthday coming on May 7, those leading the effort are asking all of us to write PastorThousands from around the world have already taken advantage of the easy utility at #Save Saeed.  Thousands more are asked to take a few moments of their time to write a few words of encouragement and support.

Saeed as he is sitting in a dark, agonizing cell yet still tenaciously holding onto his faith.

You don’t need to be eloquent, there is template already prepared.  What is important is that a) as many as possible write, b) Pastor Saeed is encouraged through each of these letters that he is not forgotten in your thoughts and prayers and c) his Evin prison jailers and the Iranian government know that there is a broad wellspring of worldwide support for Pastor Saeed calling for his release.

Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh
were held in Iran's Evin prison for 259 days.

Your letters are important and effective. At the Hudson Institute on April 9, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh recounted their experience of being held for nearly 300 days in Evin prison for their faith.  Charged with apostasy, anti-government activity, and blasphemy, they were arrested in 2009 and held with some 15,000 who the Islamic republic deems to be “dangerous offenders.”

They kept their faith, once Amirizadeh declared to one of her guards, “Unless you cut out my tongue, I will keep feeding the people’s hunger for truth about Jesus.”  Under intense pressure from around the world they were finally released after 259 days. 

At the conference the women explained, “that letters from individuals had a particularly strong impact upon their experience in prison: guards would read and open them, prompting conversations on the Christian faith.” The influx of letters of support eventually contributed to their release.

So, take time, do it now, do it today. Go to #SaveSaeed.org and click on the “Write Saeed a Letter” tab at the top of the page.  Send your love, support and encouragement to a young Christian who is standing firm for his faith.   I have no doubt that were the roles reversed, and who’s to say one day they could be, he would do the same for you.

Go to SaveSaeed.org, and send Pastor Saeed your message today.

Learn how you can help be the voice for Saeed Abedini