Pastor Fathi Malayeri was detained for 14 months and had his trial postponed several times by judicial authorities, before eventually being tried on 5 March 2012 by a Revolutionary Court in Evin Prison in Tehran.
According to Elam Ministries, Judge Salavati convicted him of being the chief agent of foreign organisations in Iran and of administrating funds for foreign organisations, for which he was sentenced to six years in prison. Both the verdict and sentence were upheld on appeal, and he will serve the remainder of his sentence in section 350 of Evin Prison.
Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said, "Pastor Fathi Malayeri’s illegal detention in the 14 months prior to his case coming to trial, his lengthy stay in solitary confinement, and the lack of due process in his case are wholly illegal and unacceptable. Moreover, as in recent cases involving Christians, the charges against the pastor were couched in political language when in reality he was arrested merely on account of his faith. The ongoing harassment and imprisonment of Christians, Baha’is and other minorities by the regime contravenes international covenants to which Iran is a signatory, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to freedom of religion. We urge the Iranian authorities to follow due process and ensure respect for the right to freedom of religion. In addition, we continue to cal l for the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Fathi Malayeri, Pastor Nadarkhani and others who are unjustly imprisoned or facing execution following flawed judicial processes.”
Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide
