Family Research Council Celebrates Release of Pastor Saeed Abedini and Americans Imprisoned by Iran

January 16, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council President Tony Perkins
released the following statement following the release of Pastor Saeed
Abedini and three other Americans imprisoned in Iran:

"Thank God! We celebrate with Naghmeh Abedini on the release of her
husband Pastor Saeed Abedini.

"For over three years, millions of Americans and people around the world
have made Pastor Abedini a focal point of their prayers and petitions.
The news of his release is made even more special because today is
January 16th which is commemorated as Religious Freedom Day in the
United States.

"We are grateful to the members of Congress on both sides of the aisle
who tirelessly advocated for the release of Pastor Abedini. Congress and
the American people clearly made the difference in engaging the Obama
administration to step up pressure on the Iranian government.

"Iran and the nations of the world must understand that we will not
leave behind any American who is in a foreign prison for simply standing
up for a God given human right. Pastor Abedini's imprisonment and
torture is a reminder of the vigilance required to preserve and promote
not just our First Freedom as Americans, but the basic human right of
the freedom of religion.

"Today is a day for rejoicing and we pray it will prompt the
administration to make the promotion of religious freedom a greater
priority, and do so by designating ISIS's attempts to exterminate
minority religious groups -- including Christians -- as genocide.

"The reality is that there are Christians and religious minorities
throughout the Middle East and around the world who look toward America,
hoping they are not forgotten and that someone will speak out on their
behalf," concluded Perkins.