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Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani re-arrested once more, this time with wife and church member

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila May 15, 2016 06:59 PM EST

Photo showing cross | Pixabay/miaikransen

An Iranian pastor, who was previously sentenced to death on charge of apostasy but was acquitted in 2012, was arrested again on Friday, May 13.

This is not the first time that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was re-arrested. However, this time, his wife and another church member were arrested together with him, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW, expressed concern regarding the re-arrest of Nadarkhani.

"Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Christians who have been arrested on account of their religious beliefs to be released and re-arrested time and again, in a tactic designed to foster a sense of insecurity within the community," Thomas said.

Thomas called on the Iranian government to make sure that Nadarkhani, his wife Tina and church member Yasser Mosayebzadeh are treated fairly. He also reminded the authorities to uphold the country's "international human rights obligations" in dealing with the cases of the three.

Nadarkhani is the head of the Church of Iran. He was first arrested in 2009 after questioning the monopoly of Muslim teachings in his children's education and saying that such practice in Iranian education system is unconstitutional.

In 2010, he received a death sentence for charges of apostasy, a decision backed by the Iranian Supreme Court. He was given a chance to avoid the death penalty by renouncing his faith, which he did not do.

He was acquitted from the charge of apostasy on Sept. 8, 2012 and was freed from prison. However, on Dec. 25 of the same year, he was arrested again, apparently to allow him to complete the rest of the three-year-sentence he was previously serving in Lakan prison. Just a few days later, on Jan. 7, 2013, he was released.

However, Nadarkhani's lawyer, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, was incarcerated after he was freed. Dadkhah was also disbarred for reportedly carrying out "propaganda against the Islamic regime." He was eventually released, but under very strict conditions.

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