Iranian nuke deal omits effort to release Pastor Saeed Abedini from prison
Sadly the Iranian nuclear program deal moved forward without an obvious pre-condition: the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been jailed in the Muslim country over his religious beliefs.
“The Obama administration has left Pastor Saeed behind. And by failing to secure his release as a precondition to any negotiations, the Obama administration sends a troubling message to the Iranian government that Americans are expendable,” said Jay Sekulow, the chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents Abedini’s family in the United States.
“It is disheartening and discouraging that fighting for religious freedom and wrongful imprisonment of a U.S. citizen is no longer a priority for a country that was founded on such values,” she said in a written statement to CNN on Monday.
Pastor Saeed has been detained and imprisoned for approximately a year and a half. He has now been moved to a dangerous prison which houses rapists and murderers.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the Geneva talks “focused exclusively on nuclear issues.”
“But the United States has certainly raised Mr. Abedini’s case — and the cases of Amir Hekmati and Robert Levinson — in our bilateral discussions with Iran, including at the level of President Obama,” she said. “We will continue to do so; we want to see these Americans reunited with their families.”
During her interview with The Global Dispatch, Naghmeh spoke about her prayers that Saeed’s release would be a pre-condition to the negotiations – Listen HERE
“I am thankful that not only Fox News, but now CNN has taken note of the OBAMA Administration not keeping Iran accountable on the injustice being done by keeping Saeed in Iranian prison and continuing to torture him,” she wrote on Facebook.
Praying for Saeed…It’s hard to see the US release the Iranian scientist, but the jailed Pastor who has committed no crimes remains behind bars.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/u-s-freed-top-iranian-scientist-as-part-of-deal/