Iran Pastor Released from Prison Following International Outcry

11/8/2024　(ICC)

After serving more than one year of his 10-year prison sentence, an Armenian-Iranian pastor recently gained freedom from Tehran’s Evin Prison following public outcry. Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, imprisoned on Sept. 18, 2023, was acquitted of his crimes and released on Sept. 24, 2024. Avedian was arrested on Aug. 21, 2020, after roughly 30 Iranian authorities invaded his home, where a group of Christians were praying and learning about Jesus. Authorities took everyone’s Bibles and phones and forced them to share the passwords for their devices. Authorities charged Avedian with “establishing and leading an illegal group with the aim of disrupting the security of the country through educational and propaganda activities contrary to, and disturbing the holy religion of Islam, through the dissemination of false claims.”

Please pray…

• Praise God for the release of Pastor Avedian from prison.

• Pray that the Lord will help him to readjust to life outside prison and to be wise in how he carries out his ministry.

• Pray for wisdom and discernment so that government officials are not able to use him to find and arrest other pastors and believers.