Washington D.C., Mar 25, 2013 / 23:02 pm
After repeatedly being petitioned by lawmakers and citizens, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith.
"I am deeply concerned about the fate of U.S citizen Saeed Abedini, who has been detained for nearly six months and was sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs," said Kerry in a March 22 press release.
Secretary Kerry wrote that he was "disturbed" by accounts of Abedini's "physical and psychological abuse in prison" as well as a "lack of due process" in Iran's refusal to allow Swiss access to Abedini on behalf of the U.S.
"Such mistreatment violates international norms as well as Iran's own laws," Kerry commented.