Iran

Iran's treatment of its Christian minority has come under fresh scrutiny in recent months with some damning verdicts on the country's human rights record.

Iranian authorities released American pastor Saeed Abedini from solitary confinement this week after forcing him to spend the week of his birthday in a "small dark hole."

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.

Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini spent his 33rd birthday in solitary confinement today, suffering from untreated injuries from beatings by prisoners and officials in an Iranian prison.

Family members in Iran have confirmed that American pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been imprisoned since last fall, has been placed in solitary confinement with new reports indicating that in addition to the severe, untreated internal bleeding he is experiencing from months of bleeding and torture, he is now facing issues with his kidneys.

The U.S. State Department's "virtual embassy" to Iran, which highlights that country's human rights abuses, has a site listing those jailed for dissent or religious beliefs -- but it doesn't include imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been tortured because of his Christian faith.

U.S. pastor Saeed Abedini, who is currently suffering from internal bleeding in Iranian prison, said that he was praying for America in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and left more than 200 injured last week.

Almost 570,000 people have signed a petition callign for international pressure on Iran to release American pastor Saeed Abedini amid continuing reports that he is being beaten and mistreated in prison.

The amazing, sudden release of Iranian Christian prisoners Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh was an answer to millions of prayers from Christians all over the world.

At least 40 people are feared dead in Iran and seven more in Pakistan after a powerful earthquake near the countries' shared border.

Four Christian converts from Islam arrested last year for alleged evangelistic activities had to post enormous bail amounts in order to be released from an Iranian prison.

Secretary of State John Kerry is calling for the release of an Iranian-American minister from a Tehran prison, a welcome step for advocates who had accused the State Department of being "AWOL" on the case.

Last Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry finally addressed the case of Saeed Abedini, the Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith.

After a public hearing and a petition with more than half a million names, pressure is mounting on Iran to release an American pastor sentenced to eight years in one of the country's most notorious prisons.

Religious freedom activists scolded the U.S. State Department for not appearing at a hearing Friday on Iran's treatment of religious minorities, and called for greater government action to secure the release of people imprisoned there for their faith.

The wife of an American Christian pastor imprisoned in Iran told lawmakers Friday in emotional testimony on Capitol Hill that she's "disappointed" with the State Department's lackluster involvement in the case -- as her lawyers accused the government of going completely "AWOL" in the face of Saeed Abedini's plight.

A petition for the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini, the American citizen currently serving eight years in prison in Iran, has reached nearly half a million signatures a day before an important congressional hearing concerning his case.

Five Iranian Christian converts who were detained late last year will reportedly begin trial in Iran's Revolutionary Court this week, according to a human rights group following the case.

Amid reports that Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani may have been hanged by authorities for his faith, a U.K.-based rights group says sources inside Iran have confirmed he is still alive.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent, has released a letter from within Iran's brutal Evin prison in Tehran, demonstrating that his faith remains strong despite abusive tactics from Iranian officials aimed at getting him to renounce Christ.