In the weeks that followed, the group worked to draw international attention to Nadarkhani’s plight.
Among the countries where efforts to raise awareness were focused was Brazil, which has “key” diplomatic and economic relationships with Iran, Sekulow explained.
Christianity still plays an important role in Brazilian life and culture, and Brazilian officials immediately called for Nadarkhani’s release when they learned of the situation.
“That’s changed the game,” Sekulow said.
He explained that Iran could not continue to lie to a country with which it has such an important relationship.
This was particularly true, he added, because the international community had already seen the legal documents pertaining to the case, including the original court verdict that had listed apostasy as the sole charge for execution.
Iran “couldn’t back away anymore,” he explained.
Sekulow said that the media – particularly social networking sites – played a large role in publicizing Nadarkhani’s plight.
The religious media in America initially picked up on the story, which was then passed to the mainstream U.S. media, and then spread to Europe and eventually to important Iranian partners such as Brazil.
“Now you’ve got countries asking to go visit him,” he said, adding that it has been confirmed that the pastor was still alive as of March 15.
Sekulow stressed the need for continued pressure on the Iranian regime, which has a “history of testing” how far it can go with the international community and has been known to carry out secret executions.
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A Twitter initiative operated by the American Center for Law and Justice currently reaches more than 1 million people in English, raising awareness about Nadarkhani’s situation.
Sekulow said a Portuguese version will soon be introduced to accommodate Brazilians who wish to help in the efforts to save the pastor.
Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.