Charges against Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani have been dropped
An Iranian pastor sentenced to death for apostasy has been acquitted and released, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
CSW, which supports the persecuted church, has been informed that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been freed from prison and is now at home with his family.
Pastor Nadarkhani made an appearance in court today during which the apostasy charges against him were dropped.
However, he was found guilty of evangelising Muslims and sentenced to three years in prison.
He was released immediately because he had already served this time in prison, after being held behind bars since the apostasy charges were first levelled against him in 2009.
Pastor Nadarkhani was arrested in his home city of Rasht after he questioned the Muslim monopoly of religious instruction for children, which he felt was unconstitutional.
He was sentenced to death for apostasy the following year. Then in 2011, the Supreme Court said the charges would be dropped if he converted to Islam, something Pastor Nadarkhani refused to do.
http://vinienco.com/2012/09/08/pastor-youcef-nadarkhani-free/
