Ayatollah Khazali has been a member of the Guardian Council, the institution in Iran that has the final say on all legislation passed by parliament. His son, Dr. Mehdi Khazali, has met Farshid Fathi in prison. In a recent interview, Dr. Khazali praised Farshid's character. He said after meeting him in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran:
"Farshid was really a very polite young man, with a good demeanor and always with a very sweet and warm smiling face... No one in department 350 had ever seen an angry reaction from Farshid or any other behavior that could be described as unethical."
So much for Dr. Khazali. Henrik Ertner Rasmussen, Secretary General of the Danish European Mission, says: "This characterization of Farshid Fathi comes as no surprise to us at the Danish European Mission. This is exactly how I remember Farshid from when he visited our home in the summer of 2005. He and his wife came after having participated as speakers at our partner Sarons Plettes Bible camping. He was invited there after having helped Sarons Slette's leader Poul Thomsen distribute relief aid after the earthquake in Bam in south-eastern Iran in late 2003. As a friend of Farshid, I was shocked when I first heard of his arrest and then, after more than a year, of his six-year sentence. But how moved I was when I heard Dr. Khazali's statement. May it have a decisive impact on how Farshid is treated!"
Dr. Khazali expressed very clearly that the verdict was unjust, saying that the judge who upheld it "has stepped on all humanity" and he hoped that he and the other prosecutors would "realize their wrong action and change their behavior." He said the sentence was neither fair, rational nor understandable. He was also very firm in his statement that it was not in accordance with what his religion taught.
Probably there are many other Iranians within or on the fringes of the political establishment who also question the wisdom of persecuting Christians and who feel that Farshid Fathi's sentence is wholly inappropriate. It may be that Farshid's suffering serves a higher purpose than we can currently see.
Bed for
- Farshid in prison, especially for his spiritual, emotional and physical health
- Farshid's wife and children
- Dr. Mehdi Khazali's arguments must persuade Iran's rulers to change their policy of persecuting Christians
Read more about the work for persecuted Christians in Iran here...
