{"id":1301,"date":"2011-10-07T15:04:18","date_gmt":"2011-10-07T19:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=1301"},"modified":"2011-11-29T15:29:26","modified_gmt":"2011-11-29T20:29:26","slug":"jay-sekulow-pressure-builds-demanding-release-of-pastor-youcef-in-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/10\/jay-sekulow-pressure-builds-demanding-release-of-pastor-youcef-in-iran.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: Pressure Builds Demanding Release of Pastor Youcef in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>There is growing pressure in this country and abroad to demand that Iran release Pastor Youcef, a Christian who is facing the death penalty because of his Christian faith.<\/p>\n

A bipartisan effort in Congress is now underway – led by Congressmen Joe Pitts (R-PA-) and Heath Shuler (D-NC). This Congressional delegation is urging Secretary of State Clinton<\/a> to “use all the powers at your disposal” for “swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release.”<\/p>\n

Even Congressional leaders are demanding the release of Pastor Youcef, including House Speaker John Boehner who called the situation “distressing for people of every country and creed.” <\/a><\/p>\n

The media coverage of this case continues to grow with news organizations in this country and abroad now adding even more attention to this troubling life-or-death case. You can read more about the media coverage here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And, just this week, we have sent a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights<\/a> calling on that international body to take immediate action:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This death sentence has tremendous implication for all Christians and religious minorities in Iran, and is yet another indicator of the regime’s disregard for basic human rights and freedoms. ‘The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused.’ (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom – Annual Report 2011)<\/p>\n

Before another innocent man loses his life, we urge you to take a stand against Iran’s violation of human rights. We urge you to call upon the Iranian government and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Youcef. We also urge you to immediately undertake a fact-finding mission into Iran requesting an in-person investigation into this case with access to both Pastor Youcef and his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah. Finally, we urge you to press the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to publicly denounce this case and other violations of human rights in Iran.”<\/p>\n

We are doing all that we can to continue to put pressure on Iran and secure the release of Pastor Youcef. In just a matter of days, more than 100,000 Americans have signed on to our petition to save Pastor Youcef. If you haven’t added your name yet, please sign our petition now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As developments unfold in this rapidly changing story, stay in touch and get the latest updates on our website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jay Sekulow<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is growing pressure in this country and abroad to demand that Iran release Pastor Youcef, a Christian who is facing the death penalty because of his Christian faith. A bipartisan effort in Congress is now underway – led by Congressmen Joe Pitts (R-PA-) and Heath Shuler (D-NC). This Congressional delegation is urging Secretary of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,171,54],"tags":[743,406,402,407,403,782,791,399,100,405,404,762],"class_list":["post-1301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-iran","category-religious-freedom","tag-aclj","tag-christian","tag-congressional-delegation","tag-execution","tag-house-speaker-boehner","tag-iran","tag-jay-sekulow","tag-pastor-youcef-nadarkhani","tag-religious-persecution","tag-rep-heath-shuler","tag-rep-joe-pitts","tag-united-nations"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow: Pressure Builds Demanding Release of Pastor Youcef in Iran - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/10\/jay-sekulow-pressure-builds-demanding-release-of-pastor-youcef-in-iran.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jay Sekulow: Pressure Builds Demanding Release of Pastor Youcef in Iran - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is growing pressure in this country and abroad to demand that Iran release Pastor Youcef, a Christian who is facing the death penalty because of his Christian faith. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1301"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1742,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1301\/revisions\/1742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}