Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has been informed that the appeal hearing for Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi (Youhan), Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie will be heard by a judge accused of having overseen miscarriages of justice, and whose name appears on a list of Iranian individuals targeted for financial sanctions in the United Kingdom (UK).<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July 2017, the head judge of the 26th Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Judge Ahmadzadeh, found the four Christians from the Church of Iran denomination guilty of \u2018acting against national security\u2019 by \u2018promoting Zionist Christianity\u2019, and sentenced<\/a> them to 10 years imprisonment each. Pastor Nadarkhani and Mr Omidi also received additional two year sentences, to be served in an inhospitable area in the south of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their appeal is expected to take place on 4 September and will be heard by Judge Ahmad Zargar, head of the 36th<\/sup> Branch of the Tehran Appeals Court. Judge Zargar, a Hojjatolislam, was amongst several Iranian officials deemed<\/b>responsible or complicit<\/a> in serious human rights violations in 2012, and was one of six judges accused<\/a> in 2014 of having lost judicial impartiality and overseeing miscarriages of justice in trials involving journalists, lawyers, political activists and members of Iran\u2019s ethnic and religious minorities. His name is currently on the \u201cConsolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK\u201d<\/a>, found on the FCO website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All four men were arrested on 13 May 2016, during a series of raids by security agents on Christian homes in Rasht, and charged with \u2018acting against national security.\u2019 Mr Mossayebzadeh, Mr Fadaie and Mr Omidi are also awaiting the outcome of their appeal against a sentence of 80 lashes each that was handed down in 2016, following their conviction for drinking wine during a communion service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The period preceding and following President Rouhani\u2019s re-election has seen a steep rise<\/a>in the number of Christians being convicted on the basis of vaguely-defined national security-related crimes for which they receive unduly heavy sentences. Common charges include \u2018acting against national security\u2019, \u2018insulting the sacred\u2019 and \u2018propaganda against the State\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n