The two Iranian Christian women we have been praying for have been freed after 259 Days in Prison.

Open Doors confirms the release of Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, today. For almost nine months the two Iranian Christian women have been held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran for refusing to deny their faith.

Although the release is great news for Maryam and Marzieh, it is not known if the release is unconditional.
In recent releases of detained Christians, Open Doors notes that it seems almost common practice by the Iranian authorities to indicate that there will be court hearings in the future or that former prisoners had to sign restrictive documents. The procedure then could take months up to several years before any action is undertaken.

In recent years Evin prison has drawn criticism by various human rights organizations for violations of basic human rights and capital punishments that are carried out in the detention center. As far as known now, Maryam and Marzieh did not face direct physical torture while being detained, but have suffered from the lack of proper health care.

Their physical condition has deteriorated over time. No medical attention was given when suffering from infections, high fever and stomach aches. Marzieh was in pain because of an ongoing problem with her spine, an infected tooth only treated by painkillers, and severe headaches.

Both women were arrested March 5 by Iranian authorities without filing official charges against them. Only after a month of detention the accusations of “taking part in illegal gatherings” and “acting against state security” were made known to them.

Open Doors is urging supporters to keep praying for Maryam and Marzieh since their release does not automatically mean they will be living in complete freedom now. Also pray for their health; that they can receive proper health care. Remember the Iranian church in your prayers as the church is under a lot of pressure. Recently the Assemblies of God Church in central Tehran was summoned to stop organizing services in Farsi on Friday afternoons.

The conditions Pastor Tewelde Hailom, founding elder of Asmara Full Gospel Church (FGC), are facing under house arrest, have deteriorated. Sources say that Pastor Hailom’s sister, who has been taking care of him at home, have been ordered to leave. He is now provided the same food as those who find themselves in prison, i.e. a piece of bread and a cup of tea in the morning and in the evening. According to the sources the insufficient food is aggravating the stomach ulcer Pastor Hailom is suffering from. Additionally, security forces arrested another FGC pastor on November 7, bringing the number to 11 of FGC members arrested since the October 14 raid on Pastor Hailom’s house. The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Pastor Ghide Haile are unknown to Open Doors, but we have been informed that he is kept at Asmara’s Police Station Number 2. According to sources the two men arrested during the raid on Pastor Hailom’s house, Samuiel Oqbagzi and Gebreberhane (Kifle) Tesfamichel, have now also been moved to this police station notorious for its strenuous conditions. They were initially held at Police Station Number 7. These FGC members share the fate of almost 3,000 Christians detained across Eritrea because they worship outside of the government approved Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches. OD knows of at least ten Christians who have died after facing horrendous prison conditions like being kept in underground cells or metal shipping containers, being tortured and being provided insufficient food, sanitation and medical care.

Please pray for this pastor and all the believers in Eritrea.

It has been a little over a week since the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. How did it go at your church or small group? Did the people you prayed with seem moved to continue praying for persecuted believers? What was the most impactful thing about this day? What did you see God do? Please share!

Have you ever wanted to learn more about persecuted Christians? Check out the Open Doors online store. The online store has different books, movies and other items that can help you learn more about persecuted believers. Check it out here

“I was beaten with a big rope with a knot on the end. I still remember the face of my torturer; a man with bloodshot eyes and a long beard, like Islamists use to wear. As I refused to give names or to deny my faith in Jesus Christ, the man became furious. After this interrogation the police put me in a cell that measures only 1 square meter for two days. As prisoners we call this cell the ‘air-conditioned’ cell because of the extreme high temperature in it. And during these days I did not receive any food, only one glass of water per day,” shares Daniel, a secret believer in a country in North Africa during a training seminar in North Africa.

Daniel shared more details about his time in prison. “There is one chief officer that ordered eight district officers to investigate all the Christian activities in the city. Because of some problems in the city. the police started a great inquiry and research, but finding a solution for the problems was not the main goal. The police also wanted to know about Christians in the city; about persons with the Christian faith and about their network.”

But the humiliation and torture was not over for Daniel, as he continues: “When I was released from my small cell, I was forced to lie on my back in the toilet area with the dirt of the inmates on the ground. To increase the pressure on me, my torturer stepped on my chest, placing his shoe on my midriff. That was very painful and my health is not very strong and I lost my consciousness.”

While Daniel was sharing his testimony with a group of believers, the majority of the other North Africans in the seminar were not surprised by his story. Daniel explained that this treatment of the prisoners by the police is very common. When a man in this country in North Africa is arrested, he will be beaten up. Daniel said that he was beaten on his head and on his back, while he was tied standing bowed over a chair, so that his back was easy to hit. He added that he prayed for the policeman that beat him up.

Daniel ended his testimony about his experience with a call to pray:

· Pray for wisdom and security in the communications between secret believers and between networks in North Africa.

· Pray for wisdom from God to deal with the current oppression in some countries in North Africa.

· Pray also for endurance and perseverance for the believers who are facing suppression and persecution.

Thank you for your prayers!

Do you ever read Our Daily Bread? Its a short, yet powerful devotional. On Sunday, they had a devotion about persecution. This fetured prayer points from Open Doors USA. Check it out here.

Have you ever wondered what life is like for persecuted Christians? Well now you can have a better understanding of this. Open Doors offers this through the China Experience. The China Experience is a guided tour that shows the history of Open Doors and what it is like to be a persecuted Christian in China. For more information, please click here.

Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, will be one of the guests on the Frank Pastore Show on KKLA (99.5 FM) on Monday, Nov. 9 at 5 pm California time.

He will talk about persecution worldwide the day after the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. He will be joined by Andre Hovsepian from Iran and Bishop Wilson Garang of Sudan. To listen to the interview go to www.kkla.com.

Please comment on this blog to let us what you thought of the interview and anything new you learned! Please pray that this would be an effective and blessed interview.

If you have a minute, please check this out. It is an awesome article talking about Open Doors and IDOP. Good reminder as to why this day is so important! Don’t forget IDOP is this Sunday. Thank you for your prayers!!!

On August 9 two Christian women appeared before an Iranian judge who asked them to deny their faith and return to Islam. The women have been held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran since March 5. When both women refused to recant their faith, the judge sent them back to their prison cells “to think about it.”

The women re-appeared in court on Oct. 7. The anti-state charge was dropped but they still face “apostasy” and “propagation of the Christian faith” charges. Also, the women have undergone intense interrogations which have reportedly included sleep deprivation and other psychological pressure. They share a cell with over 20 other women and both have deteriorating health. Marzieh suffers from spinal pain, an infected tooth and intense headaches and is especially in need of medical attention, which has not been provided. Evin prison has received criticism for its human rights violations and executions in recent years.

On Oct. 26, the U.S. State Department designated Iran, along with seven other countries, as “Countries of Particular Concern” for their religious repression. The Islamic Republic reportedly imprisoned, harassed and intimidated people based on their religious beliefs, while government-controlled broadcast and print media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities, the report said. Iran is ranked No. 3 on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most severe persecution.

The Open Doors USA advocacy department is launching a campaign asking people to send a respectful message to Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee, who is Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York City. The email messages will be sent to the government in Iran as well. The letters will ask for the immediate release of Maryam and Marzieh.

A sample email letter to send is located at the Open Doors USA website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org. Please do not refer to Open Doors in your email.

Thank you for helping in this way.