Priorities, priorities. The Islamic Republic, quite understandably, wants to keep the most dangerous prisoners locked up.
“Iran refuses to release Christian prisoners despite coronavirus outbreak,” by Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post, March 25, 2020:
BERLIN – Iran’s mullah regime refused on Tuesday to grant a temporary release to four imprisoned Christians amid a release of some 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, in an effort to stop the spread of the Middle East’s worst outbreak of the coronavirus.
The religious freedom organization Article18 wrote on its website that, “Four Iranian Christians serving 10-year sentences in Tehran’s Evin prison are being denied temporary release even though their requests for retrials have been accepted.”According to Article18, the four Iranian Christians being jailed are Yousef Nadarkhani, 42; Mohammad Reza (Yohan) Omidi, 46; Zaman (Saheb) Fadaei, 36; and Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who is 58 years old and suffers from a number of serious health issues.
The religious freedom organization said that the Christians “have made several requests for release on bail since their retrials were accepted in October [except for Gol-Tapeh, whose request for a retrial was accepted in February], and their families are increasingly anxious about them in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.”Mansour Borji, the research and advocacy director for the London-based organization, told FoxNews.com that, “We at Article18 ask for the immediate and unconditional release of all Christians detained on spurious charges related to their faith or religious activities. This is even more urgent given the current health crisis that threatens these detained Christians and their families back home.
“The international community should also demand that Iran upholds its obligations to guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief for every citizen, regardless of their ethnic or linguistic background, including converts from other religions,” Borji added.
Alireza Miryousefi, the spokesman for Iran’s mission to the UN, told the news site that, “Decreasing the number of prisoners has been a general policy by Iran’s new head of justice since last year. All Iranians imprisoned for various crimes are judged by the judiciary on an individual basis as to whether they should be released or furloughed on medical grounds or other considerations. Tens of thousands have already been released from prisons. There has been no discrimination on the basis of religion or race.”…
Clive Delmonte says
I’m glad to read this: “There has been no discrimination on the basis of religion or race.”… How many Christians have been released then ?
mortimer says
What? The mullahs now believe in equality? You’re pulling our leg.
gravenimage says
Iran releases 85,000 prisoners because of coronavirus, but keeps Christians locked up
………………..
Just grotesque–but who can be surprised?
anthony says
In some sense, maybe good for the Christian brothers and sisters, they are really isolated from the viruses, and survive the plaque.
We pray that God help them.
somehistory says
Thinking along the same lines…if only they are left inside, then more of the threats to them are on the outside…moslims and the virus.
I forget all of the many details, but a long time ago, I heard of a small group of Christians who were denied food that was given to others, and it turned out to be poisoned. One never knows just what might turn out to be for the good, even though it seems for the moment, to be a bad thing.
And yes, we pray for them daily.
gravenimage says
Iranian prisons are so horrible and Christians especially are so badly treated that their health in general is at risk.
A Gnostic Agnostic says
Was COVID-19 a bioweapon employed in the “cause of Allah”?
Is it designed as a global cover (ie. element of chaos) to execute jihad?
Why are Muslims claiming that the virus is a ‘soldier of Allah’?
Who actually still believes the Muslims are not themselves the “Jews” they scapegoat
all of their own actions onto? Who is really behind the social media / news censorship?
Is the House of Islam the real root of Nazism/fascism/socialism?
Do they ‘infect’ nations and weaponize them against their own populace?
Who controls the Democrats in U.S. Congress? (obstruct Trump)
The world needs to know who the real “Jews” are.
jacob israel says
100% PROPAGANDA Wake up people read between the lines
gravenimage says
Meaning?
Goofy says
Allah knows best and his followers know and feel nothing!
Al says
Enforced social distancing from the infected masses. Might turn out to be a blessing after all.
somehistory says
“There has been no discrimination on the basis of religion or race.”…
If one believes this, one also might accept islam as a religion of peace and tranquility, of moral integrity and full of goodness.