Youcef Nadarkhani (35) is a Christian pastor from Rasht in northern Iran. He is married to Fatemah Pasindedih and they have two young sons, Daniel and Joel. In November 2010, Youcef was sentenced to death by hanging for the crime of apostasy. Youcef had been pastor to a network of Church of Iran house churches for ten years.

DECEMBER 2006 Youcef was imprisoned on charges of apostasy and evangelism, but was released two weeks later.

OCTOBER 2009 Youcef was arrested after going to his sons' school and protesting against a government decision to teach Islam to all children, including those from Christian families. This policy would have affected Youcef's sons Daniel and Joel, then aged eight and six. Youcef was arrested, charged for protesting and imprisoned in Lakan, five kilometres south of Rasht. Later, the charges were changed to apostasy and evangelism to Muslims.

During Youcef's imprisonment, the authorities put great pressure on him to renounce his Christian faith and become a Muslim, by means that included medicating him and targeting his wife, Fatemah Pasindedih.

JUNE 2010 Fatemah was arrested, imprisoned and the authorities threatened that Youcef and Fatemah's sons (who were being cared for by a relative) would be taken and given to a Muslim family. Fatemah was put on trial without a lawyer and sentenced to life in prison. A lawyer was later hired and the sentence appealed. The sentence and conviction were overturned and Fatemah was released.

SEPTEMBER 2010 Youcef was tried in the Assize Court of Gilan province in Rasht, found guilty of apostasy and verbally sentenced to death. Youcef's conviction and sentence are illegal, since the Iranian Penal Code does not specify death for apostasy: the verdict was based on fatwas (religious rulings) laid down by the Ayatollahs.

NOVEMBER 2010 A written confirmation of the charges and death sentence was delivered to Youcef's lawyer, who filed an appeal in December 2010. Youcef's lawyer is Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who has reportedly faced charges for "actions and propaganda against the Islamic regime" due to his human rights activities. He is a Muslim, and acted courageously in taking on Youcef's case.

JUNE 2011 The Supreme Court in Qom upheld Youcef's conviction for apostasy and the death sentence but asked the lower court in Rasht to clarify whether he had truly been a practising Muslim from the age of accountability (15) until he became a Christian, at the age of 19. (According to the written verdict of the lower court, which originally imposed the death sentence in November 2010, Youcef said that, while he was born into a Muslim family, he never really believed or genuinely practised Islam.)

The Supreme Court also determined that the death sentence could be annulled if he recanted. If the lower court found that Youcef had been truly a Muslim, and he refused to recant, the death sentence of would stand, but if it were found that he had not been truly a Muslim, he would not be regarded as an apostate and the death sentence would not be appropriate.

25 SEPTEMBER 2011 Re-examination of case began in Gilan provincial court. Despite the fact that the case had been referred back by the Supreme Court for the purpose of examining whether he had been truly a practising Muslim, the judges began by calling on Youcef to recant his Christian faith.

Four witnesses were called and all testified that Youcef had not practised Islam from ages 14 to 19. The judges determined that Youcef was not a practising Muslim before he became a Christian, but they declared that he was still guilty of apostasy due to his Muslim ancestry. They gave him three days to recant as, according to the Hadith - the Islamic traditions used to interpret the law - an apostate should be given three days to recant before he is killed.

26, 27 and 28 SEPTEMBER 2011 Youcef was brought to the court to be called upon to recant. Each time, he refused. The court said that a verdict would be issued within one week, but later this period was extended.

5 OCTOBER 2011 A group of government officials travelled from Tehran to interview Youcef. Their questions focused on the behaviour of the judges and the charges filed against him. It is announced that the verdict is to be delivered on Monday 10 October.

THE CHURCH OF IRAN

The Church of Iran, an evangelical denomination, has been targeted in the recent crackdown on Christians in Iran, and many members have been arrested. Eleven members from one church, including their pastor, were tried in May 2011 for "activities against the Islamic Order" and drinking alcohol. The charges related to their involvement in a house church and to taking communion wine. The group was acquitted in mid-May, but their pastor was arrested again on 17 August in Rasht and he is being held in a secret location.

Six members of the Church of Iran in Shiraz are awaiting an appeal hearing for charges of blasphemy. During an earlier trial at the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, each was handed a one-year sentence for "crimes against the Islamic Order". The Iranian authorities have said that they will ask members of traditional churches to determine whether or not the blasphemy charges are valid.

CRACKDOWN
There has been an increase in human rights violations in Iran since the 2009 elections, including several religious minorities. The significant rise in the persecution of evangelical Christians is due to the fact that the regime portrays them as part of a foreign conspiracy against Iran. Since June 2010 at least 300 Christians have suffered arrest, interrogation and detention in at least 35 cities across Iran. Most have been released, but many have been called back for further questioning and at least 41 have spent between one month and a year in prison, facing solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, illness, denial of medical treatment, unsanitary conditions and torture during interrogation. Exorbitant bail postings secure their release - the families of many have had to hand over the title deeds to their homes - and religious detainees are forced to sign that they renounce their faith, will not participate in Christian activities and will comply with further questioning when summoned. Once released, they are closely monitored.

(CSW, International Christian Concern, Present Truth Ministries, Release International)