releases: https://web.archive.org/web/20131123004439/http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=2327
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://web.archive.org/web/20131123004439/http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=2327 | Wolf: Troubling Developments In Plight Of Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini | 2013-11-06 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | VA | Frank Wolf | W000672 | web.archive.org | legacy | Contact: Jill Shatzen (202) 225-5136 WOLF EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN ABOUT TROUBLING DEVELOPMENTS IN PLIGHT OF IRANIAN-AMERICAN PASTOR SAEED ABEDINI Urges President Obama to Again Personally Engage and Urgently Seek His Release Washington, D.C. (November 6, 2013) – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) today spoke out against the recent transfer of Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini from the notorious Evin Prison to the even more brutal Rajai Shahr Prison and urged President Obama to again personally engage and seek Pastor Abedini’s immediate release. In a November 4 letter to President Obama describing this development, the American Center for Law and Justice cited comments made by a Dutch diplomat stationed in Tehran in 2005 describing the fate of many who are transferred to this particular prison: “Rajai Shahr is the place where political prisoners who are seen as a nuisance, are stowed away. Going to Karaj [the location of the prison] is a severe punishment. Once in there one stops to be a human being. One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. In Rajai Shahr, political prisoners have to share cells with dangerous criminals like murderers, rapists and drug addicts who don't hesitate to attack their cell mates. They have nothing to lose: many of them are condemned to death anyway. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence.” In light of these grim realities and the continued unjust detention of Pastor Abedini, Wolf made the following statement: “I am deeply troubled by the latest news out of Iran regarding the fate of Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, who has already spent more than a year behind bars because of his Christian faith. With this development – a development without explanation or notice – Pastor Abedini’s life is further endangered. Time is of the essence. President Obama and Secretary Kerry must again engage at the highest levels and press in clear and unequivocal terms for the immediate and unconditional release of this innocent man. Tehran brutally represses its own people, especially religious minorities including Christians and Baha’is. America always has an obligation to stand with those whose voices have been silenced wherever they may be. But that is perhaps no more true than when one of our own citizens is at the mercy of a murderous regime. Such is the case with Pastor Abedini.” This is the latest in a series of efforts by Wolf aimed at securing the release of Pastor Abedini. In March, Wolf, co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, held a hearing to raise awareness about religious freedom abuses in Iran, specifically focusing on Abedini’s case. Wolf, along with several other members of Congress, followed up on the hearing with a letter to Secretary Kerry urging that religious freedom and specifically Pastor Abedini’s release be State Department priorities. Wolf’s legislation to create a special envoy at the State Department charged with focusing exclusively on the plight of religious minorities in South Central Asia and the Middle East overwhelmingly passed the House in September. For more on Wolf’s work on this issue, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |