Naghemeh Abedini, the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini, was able to address the United nations Human Rights Council for the first time directly on Tuesday, calling on world leaders to stand up for the principles they say they uphold and help her imprisoned husband. “For nearly a year, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has tried to silence my husband, Saeed Abedini, through illegal imprisonment, torture, and threats against our family. Why is he being held – because he exercised his rights of religious freedom, expression, and peaceful assembly,” Naghmeh Abedini began. “I hope that my presence here today will put a face to those who suffer when a government does not uphold its obligation to protect these freedoms. . . .” The pastor, who is a U.S. citizen, has been held inside Evin Prison in Tehran since his arrest in September 2012. While the Iranian court convicted him of endangering national security, the American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing his wife and two children in the U.S, said that the 8-year sentence was more to do with his Christian faith. Naghmeh Abedini argued before the Council that her husband has broken no law, and that he simply exercised his rights that Iran had said it would uphold. “Iran has kept Saeed imprisoned because he believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross for forgiveness of sin and to reconcile humanity to God,” Naghmeh said. She continued by stating that she does not know whether Abedini will live or die while in prison, and urged the international community to do more on the issue and hold Iran to its promises to respect human right laws regardless of religion, nationality, or ethnic background.
