Yousef Nadarkhani

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Yousef Nadarkhani

Yousef Nadarkhani (also Yousef Nadar-Khani , * 1977 in Rasht ) is an Iranian evangelical pastor who was sentenced to death in Tehran for " apostating from the Islamic faith ". According to Amnesty International , the Iranian government had offered to suspend the death sentence if Nadarkhani revoked his Christian creed. Nadarkhani refused this four times.

Nadarkhani has been a Protestant pastor since 2001. Iranian authorities accuse him of having converted from Islam to Protestant Christianity at the age of 19, which in Iran can be punished with the death penalty. Nadarkhani himself denies the conversion. According to him, he decided at this age for Christianity without having previously belonged to any religion. The courts that have dealt with him, however, argued in line with the Fitra that, as the son of Muslim parents, their beliefs were “quasi innate”, so he was a Muslim.

He was arrested in 2006, but released two weeks later. Nardarkhani has been in custody since 2009 because he also protested against a law forcing children of non-Muslim faith to take lessons in the Koran. In September 2010 a revolutionary court sentenced him to death, a court of last resort upheld this sentence. According to the International Society for Human Rights, the execution in Rasht Central Prison was being prepared. A little hope remained as the supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , would give an opinion on theological issues related to the condemnation.

According to a newspaper statement by Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on February 26, 2012, the German government demanded Nadarkhani's release because the alleged behavior did not constitute a crime, but the exercise of religious freedom, which is also applicable in Iran.

On March 1, 2012, supporters of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) protested against Yousef Nadarkhani's impending execution with a vigil in front of the Iranian embassy in Berlin . The CDU General Secretary MdB Hermann Gröhe (political godfather in the ISHR sponsorship program for Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani) and MdB Erika Steinbach (spokeswoman for the CDU / CSU parliamentary group for human rights and humanitarian aid ) also took part.

On March 3, 2012, the German Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to tell him about the concerns of the Federal Republic of Germany for Nadarkhani's life. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Iran to comply with the fundamental principles of human rights and thus also the freedom of religious affiliation.

Nadarkhani was released in September 2012.

He was detained again on July 22, 2018.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Iranian Christian pastor accused of 'apostasy' must be released . Amnesty International . September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ pezhvakeiran.com MAHMOUD KHAYAMI AND IMMINENT EXECUTION OF YOUSEF NADAR-KHANI (accessed February 28, 2012)
  3. ↑ Die Welt : Pastor threatens death by hanging in Iran , January 6, 2010, accessed on February 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ Hell on earth. on: focus.de , September 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ a b Death sentence against pastor in Iran: For believing in the gallows? - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - Politics. Website Spiegel online. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  6. ↑ Christians in Iran: When Life Is Threatened Because of Faith. on: welt.de , February 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ Faith: Federal government calls for the release of pastors in Iran - abroad - FOCUS Online - News . Focus Online website. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  8. ↑ domradio.de Vigil for threatened Iranian pastor.Retrieved on June 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ Catholic. Church and Culture Magazine.Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  10. ↑ Foreign Minister Westerwelle demands the release of Youcef Nadarkhani. on: erwaertiges-amt.de , March 3, 2012.
  11. ↑ Iran: Youcef Nadarkhani is free. at: pro-medienmagazin.de , September 8, 2012 (accessed on: September 10, 2012).
  12. ^ Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani arrested after police raid his home. In: Iran HRM. July 23, 2018, accessed January 27, 2020 (American English).
personal data
SURNAME Nadarkhani, Yousef
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nadar-Khani, Yousef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Iranian evangelical pastor who was sentenced to death
DATE OF BIRTH 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH Rascht