There is growing pressure in this country and abroad to demand that Iran release Pastor Youcef, a Christian who is facing the death penalty because of his Christian faith.

A bipartisan effort in Congress is now underway – led by Congressmen Joe Pitts (R-PA-) and Heath Shuler (D-NC). This Congressional delegation is urging Secretary of State Clinton to “use all the powers at your disposal” for “swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release.”

Even Congressional leaders are demanding the release of Pastor Youcef, including House Speaker John Boehner who called the situation “distressing for people of every country and creed.”

The media coverage of this case continues to grow with news organizations in this country and abroad now adding even more attention to this troubling life-or-death case. You can read more about the media coverage here.

And, just this week, we have sent a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights calling on that international body to take immediate action:  

“This death sentence has tremendous implication for all Christians and religious minorities in Iran, and is yet another indicator of the regime’s disregard for basic human rights and freedoms. ‘The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused.’ (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom – Annual Report 2011)

Before another innocent man loses his life, we urge you to take a stand against Iran’s violation of human rights. We urge you to call upon the Iranian government and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Youcef. We also urge you to immediately undertake a fact-finding mission into Iran requesting an in-person investigation into this case with access to both Pastor Youcef and his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah. Finally, we urge you to press the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to publicly denounce this case and other violations of human rights in Iran.”

We are doing all that we can to continue to put pressure on Iran and secure the release of Pastor Youcef. In just a matter of days, more than 100,000 Americans have signed on to our petition to save Pastor Youcef. If you haven’t added your name yet, please sign our petition now.

As developments unfold in this rapidly changing story, stay in touch and get the latest updates on our website here.

Jay Sekulow

The campaign to discredit Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is in high gear in Iran, where he faces the death penalty for refusing to recant his Christian beliefs.

Now, there are reports being circulated by Iranian state-funded Press TV that are disturbing.

 The state-controlled media outlet now claims that Pastor Youcef does not face charges of apostasy, but instead, is guilty of other crimes of what the Iranian government calls are of a security nature.

The fact is that we have obtained documentation that reveals apostasy is still the only charge facing Pastor Youcef. And now – growing concern that the Iranian government is doing all that it can to justify the death sentence facing Pastor Youcef.

Our legal and legislative teams are working non-stop on this critical case. And, now more than ever, it’s important to expose this campaign of falsehoods orchestrated by the Iranian government.

The case of Pastor Youcef is generating global attention. And, we are closing in on 100,000 names from Americans who are demanding the release of Pastor Youcef. If you haven’t added your name to our petition to free Pastor Youcef, please take a moment and add your name here.

Please continue to pray for the release of Pastor Youcef. Your voice and prayers are critically important. For the very latest on this case, visit our website regularly.

We will keep you posted as developments continue to unfold.

Jay Sekulow

The push continues to save the life of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran is intensifying. Pastor Youcef is facing execution because of his Christian faith and our international team continues to work to bring international attention to his case.

There are troubling new developments involving the Iranian government and their effort to discredit Pastor Youcef by promoting false reports that the Pastor is charged with being a “Zionist” and committing “security crimes.”  This disinformation campaign is absurd and we’re working in this country and abroad to keep up international pressure and media attention on the life-and-death struggle facing Pastor Youcef. For complete details of this disturbing development, click here.

We are mobilizing tens of thousands of Americans to speak out in support of the Pastor Youcef. Please take a moment and add your name now to our petition.

Visit our website for ongoing updates about this critical story. 

Jay Sekulow

It’s a disturbing development – an assault on the conscience rights of people of all faiths. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a potentially crippling policy change aimed squarely at imposing a pro-choice agenda on America’s religious institutions in their role as employers.

Under the Interim Final Rule on Preventive Services published by HHS on August 3, 2011, HHS has mandated that all health insurance plans cover prescription contraceptives, sterilization, and related patient education and counseling. Perhaps more troubling, the Interim Rule includes a narrow “religious employer” exemption that will extend to only a very select group of religious employers.

That would mean that churches or other religious organizations that do not fit within the narrow exemption would be required to cover contraceptives in their employee health plans against their firmly held religious beliefs.

The ACLJ has taken action to protect the conscience rights of those who object to this dangerous new rule. We have filed formal comments, posted here, with HHS on behalf of the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Cecilia of Nashville, Tennessee, also known as The Nashville Dominicans.

The Sisters, who teach in some 36 schools nationwide including Aquinas College in Nashville, currently employ nearly 300 people and would fall under the new rule’s mandate. The comments urge HHS to abandon the coercive policy set forth in the Interim Rule.

In our comments filed with HHS, we describe the potential harm that the rule will inflict on the Congregation and other faith-based organizations if left unchecked:

In their 151-year history, the Nashville Dominicans have, with the help of God, survived a Civil War on their doorstep, deadly epidemics, devastating floods, economic depression and tumultuous social upheaval. Today, however, they face a new, more insidious threat — their own government. Should HHS persist in implementing the Interim Rule and its contraceptive mandate without major modifications, the Congregation will be forced to curtail its mission. What war and disease could not do to the Congregation, the government of the United States will do. It will shut them down.

ACLJ Senior Counsel Francis J. Manion said it best, “The proposed HHS mandate is an outrageous assault on the religious liberty of all Americans. If allowed to stand, it would mean that the Obama Administration will be defining what is and what is not a ‘religious employer.’”

This proposed regulation should be disturbing to people of all faiths. As Manion said, “The Administration’s narrow definition of ‘religious’ would exclude Jesus and his ministry and would have a devastating impact on the outreach efforts of religious organizations of all denominations. HHS must reverse this ill-considered and dangerous policy without delay.”

The ACLJ will continue to fight to ensure that HHS reverses this ill-conceived and harmful policy.

Stay in touch with ACLJ and our work on our website and the Jay Sekulow page.

Jay Sekulow