Pastor Saeed was Recently Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison in Iran for His Christian Faith

Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, 540-538-4741

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Christian Defense Coalition will also ask President Obama to personally and publicly demand the Iranian government immediately release Pastor Saeed Abedini.

Photo: Empty table setting for Pastor Saeed in front of the White House on Christmas Day

The group is very troubled that President Obama has not yet embraced religious freedom and human rights for all by personally addressing this issue.

The prayer vigil, public witness and news conference will be held on Wednesday, February 6, at 11:15 a.m. in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

To stand in solidarity with Pastor Saeed and remind President Obama of his unjust imprisonment and persecution, some participants will risk arrest by tying a green ribbon around their wrists and attaching it to the White House fence.

This effort is part of an international campaign to free Pastor Saeed and last Christmas the group organized a "Leave an Empty Place Setting Around the Table at Christmas for Pastor Saeed."

Katie Hennessey, Spokesperson for the Christian Defense Coalition, states;

"Today, while we in America are waking up and enjoying our coffee, headed to schools and our daily work without a thought, are possibly annoyed at the traffic, or considering what we will choose to eat, half way across the world there is a young man who is being imprisoned and beaten for the crime of simply being a Christian and practicing his faith.

"And living in our nation, the same man's wife and children anxiously await news as he is being mistreated and sentenced to years of brutal oppression without freedom -- as fellow American Citizens, how can we stand idly by and allow this to occur and do nothing?!

"We who live in peace, abundance and casually take for granted our incredible freedoms must be compelled to, at the very least, be a voice against this atrocity, and speak up!"

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states,

"It is deeply troubling and disturbing that a U.S. citizen would be imprisoned for 8 years and brutally beaten in a foreign country for simply being a Christian.

"What is equally as troubling and disturbing is that President Obama has failed to personally and publicly address this issue and demand the immediate release of Pastor Saeed.

"President Obama's silence on religious freedom and basic human rights sends a clear message to the world that these issues are not a top priority for this Administration.

"We will gather in front of the White House, first to pray, and ask God to intervene and act on behalf of Pastor Saeed.  Then we will stand as a 'prophetic witness' for justice reminding the President and the nation of Pastor Saeed's imprisonment and persecution and the fact that we must never be silent on these issues."

For more information or interviews call:
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 540.538.4741