52,000 Letters En Route to Iran for Imprisoned American Pastor

Religion Today | Updated: May 09, 2013

52,000 Letters En Route to Iran for Imprisoned American Pastor

More than 52,000 letters have been written to American pastor Saeed Abedini, commending him for his strong demonstration of faith as he languishes in an Iranian prison, Baptist Press reports. The Web-based campaign was launched by the American Center for Law and Justice ahead of Abedini's 33rd birthday on May 7. The ACLJ, which is representing Abedini's wife and children in the United States, reported that 52,501 letters have been written to the pastor, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent who has been sentenced to eight years in prison for converting to Christianity. "These letters show the impact Pastor Saeed's case is having on people's lives," the ACLJ said. "One letter reads: 'Your message of forgiveness is an amazing testimony and actually helped us realize there was someone in our life we needed to forgive. Thank you.'" The large number of letters also serves to let Iranian officials know that the international community is still fighting for Pastor Saeed's release, said Tiffany Barrans, international legal director of the ACLJ. The ACLJ said it is printing out and delivering each letter through intermediaries to Evin Prison in Tehran; more letters can still be written at SaveSaeed.org



52,000 Letters En Route to Iran for Imprisoned American Pastor