Published on: 10 November 2023
BACKGROUND SUMMARY
Saheb (Zaman) Fadaie was a member of the leadership team of the Church of Iran – a Unitarian denomination.
Over the past years, Iranian authorities have detained and arrested a number of the church’s members, including Saheb, who was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison for his membership in and leadership of house churches and other church activities.
At the time of his arrest, his house was raided by officers who confiscated his Bibles, telephones, and computers.
TIMELINE
May 13, 2016: Arrested during a house church meeting along with Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, Youcef’s wife Fatemeh (Tina), Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi, and Mohammad Ali (Yasser) Mossayebzadeh. Saheb was detained for two weeks and then released on bail.
September 16, 2016: Summoned to court to answer charges of ‘drinking wine during communion.’ Sentenced to 80 lashes.
October 15, 2016: Hearing held to face charges of ‘acting against national security.’
June 24, 2017: Sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime of “acting against national security by propagating house-churches and promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity.” Appeal filed.
May 2, 2018: 10-year sentence upheld by the court of appeals.
July 2018: After a violent raid by officers on his home, Saheb was forcibly taken to Evin Prison to begin serving his 10-year sentence. No summons was issued by the court.
September 18, 2018: Sentenced to an additional 18-months in prison for the crime of “spreading propaganda against the regime.”
January 15, 2019: Asked to renounce his faith during his appeal hearing for the 18-month prison term. Sentenced to an additional 2 years in exile in Nehbandan, a border town with Afghanistan, upon release from prison.
May 18, 2019: The 18-month sentence upheld by the court of appeals.
October 2019: Granted a retrial but denied bail.
June 2020: At retrial, original 10-year sentence reduced to 6 years.
November 15, 2020: Received 80 lashes while in prison from the 2016 conviction for ‘drinking wine during communion.’
September 2021: Granted 15 days’ leave.
February 2022: Fell ill following a COVID-19 outbreak in Evin Prison. Despite 85,000 prisoners being released in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Fadaie remained detained.
February 9, 2023: Released from prison in Iran’s annual amnesty which government officials use to mark the anniversary of their 1979 revolution.
June 25, 2023: Saheb traveled 3.5 hours from Rasht (on the Caspian Sea) to the capital of Tehran to collect a property deed once used to secure his bail. Once there, authorities told him that he had two outstanding penalties on record: 50 lashes and two years’ exile in the city of Nehbandān, a little over 1,000 miles from home. He was immediately given the 50 lashes, although having been pardoned in February, and told to report to the authorities in Nehbandān to begin living out his exile term.
PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that the Lord protect Saheb and his family from all evil – allowing them to heal. Let us also pray that God continue to strengthen Saheb’s faith and use him mightily for His purposes in Iran.
Ask the Lord to care for Saheb’s wife and daughter, who face two more years of separation from their beloved husband and father while he now serves out his two-year exile sentence. May the Lord secure Saheb with employment and a community of friends.
Please pray that Saheb’s release from prison will be permanent.
TAKE ACTION: Advocate on behalf of the prisoner
We have a strong advocate in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington D.C.
Write to the USCIRF today and encourage their diplomatic efforts on behalf of Iranian Christians, like Saheb, who have spent years being tortured and imprisoned for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Send your letter to: (view Sample Letters here)
Chair: Rabbi Abraham Cooper
Address: 732 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite A714,
Washington, D.C. 20401
