Release welcomes freedom for Pastor Saeed Abedini, calls for all Iranian Christian prisoners to be set free, including Behnam Irani.

Release International

Release International welcomes Iran's decision to release Christian pastor, Saeed Abedini, but reminds the world that around 90 other Christians remain in jail in Iran for their faith. They include Pastor Behnam Irani, who has been imprisoned for five years this month.

'Thank you, Iran, we are delighted,' says Paul Robinson of Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world. 'We commend you for setting Pastor Saeed free. Now is the time to make that gesture of goodwill complete - by releasing the others who are still behind bars for their faith, including Behnam Irani.'

Iranian / American pastor Saeed Abedini was set free after more than three years in jail. The pastor was exchanged as part of a prisoner swap between the US and Iran. This follows a thawing of relations between the two nations over Iran's nuclear programme.

Saeed Abedini, who is 35, was given an eight-year sentence in 2013 for 'undermining national security'. He had been in Iran to help build an orphanage - a building project that had been approved by the government.

He was severely beaten and his wounds became infected. But a prison doctor and nurse refused to give him medical treatment on the grounds that he was an 'infidel' and 'unclean'. He was denied medical care for his internal injuries for almost a year. He was told that if he recanted his Christian faith he would be set free.

His wife Naghmeh campaigned for his release in the USA. She said: 'Saeed is not a criminal. Being a Christian and motivated by Christian values to help the poorest and most needy children should be seen as good for the Iranian society. Hearing that hardliners are trying to fabricate evidence against my husband and that he was abused and Tasered is almost too much to bear.'

Another key figure who has faced similar mistreatment is Pastor Behnam Irani. The pastor, who has been in prison for five years this month (January), was jailed for leading a Church of Iran congregation in Karaj. Like Pastor Saeed, he was accused of 'offences against national security'.

Also in common with Pastor Saeed, he was badly beaten and abused in jail, both by his captors and other prisoners. He suffered a bleeding ulcer and herniated disc.

He was warned he would not leave prison alive, because of his Christian faith. Behnam Irani was put in a cell with violent offenders in Ghezal Prison, where there was not even enough room to lie down.

He wrote: 'In jail I have attained new experiences about love. Here I live with cellmates of whom it is hard to see anything positive. They don't think about anything but negative values, abhorrent acts and learning new experiences in crime. I look at them and whisper to myself, "Do they really deserve prayers and intercessions?" Immediately, I remember that Jesus Christ was sacrificed for their sins too.'

Pastor Irani, who is married with two children, is due to be released in October this year. Now in his mid-40s, he converted from a Muslim background, and became a pastor in 2002.

Iran is an Islamic republic, where strict Islam and authoritarianism combine. Muslims who change their faith can be sentenced to death, although the punishment is rarely carried out. The authorities keep many church services under surveillance.

The government stepped up its latest crackdown on Christians and activists in September 2015. Christians who meet to worship or share their faith are convicted on political charges, such as 'undermining national security'.

Those who are released come under such strict surveillance that many decide to leave the country. Latest information suggests the underground house church in Iran continues to grow.