ICC Note: An Iranian pastor who was freed after having served only 5 months of a 12 month sentence continues to face strange treatment. Pastor Sabok-Rouh was detained along with more than 100 others during a raid in December of 2011. Following that he was sentenced to one year in prison and he, along with three others, began serving his sentence in May of this year. In early December he was released, though without guidance on whether his time has been completed or if he will ultimately be required to serve the remainder of his sentence.
12/19/2013 Iran (FCNN) – Pastor “Farhad Sabok-Rouh” who had been freed from Karoon prison on Dec. 4th, was denied entry to his home at the site of the Church of Assemblies of God of Ahvaz.
Friends of the freed pastor report of his frail conditions and extreme loss of weight, and the above photograph seems to confirm it.
Even though reports from Christian sources in Ahvaz suggests that “Mr. Naser Zaamen Dezfouli” was also freed at the same time as Pastor Sabok-Rouh, there is no news of the Pastor’s wife “Mrs. Shahnaz Jeyzan”, nor of “Mr.Dawood Alikhani”; who had been imprisoned at the same time.
The Islamic authorities have, as yet, not offered any explanation or reason for the imprisonment of the Pastor, his sudden freedom after only 5 months of a 12 months sentence, and the continued detention of the other church servants, there are particular concerns about physical conditions and health of his wife.
There is no indication if the freed Pastor and his companion have been cleared of the trumped up charges or are they only “conditionally” freed? Judging from Pastor Sabok-Rouh’s conditions, there is real concern about the physical wellbeings of .the other detainees
Following an armed attack by masked agents of the “Intelligence Ministry of Islamic Republic” on the Assemblies of God church premises in Kyanpars of Ahvaz on 23rd Dec. 2011; more than a hundred, including young children, were arrested and taken to different detention centres. All but Pastor “Farhad Sabok-Rouh”, his wife and the other two were later released.
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