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Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's Lawyer Thrown into Prison in Iran

  • Religion Today Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Oct 02, 2012

The Iranian lawyer who successfully represented Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in court, leading to his eventual release and acquittal of apostasy, was detained over the weekend and ordered to serve a lengthy sentence in one of Iran's most dangerous prisons, the American Center for Law and Justice reports. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a world-renowned Muslim human rights attorney, had been previously convicted for representing other religious and political prisoners and was sentenced to nine years in prison, barred for 10 years from practicing or teaching law, fined $1,900 and given a choice of either five lashes or an additional $450 fine. In recent months, however, he had worked out an agreement that allowed him to continue representing Nadarkhani and prevented him from having to serve any time in prison. "He upheld his end of that bargain, and we believe that Iran has reneged now that Pastor Youcef is no longer the focus of international attention," the ACLJ said. According to sources, when asked if he was being treated well, Dadkhah hesitated before saying yes. When he was first detained three years ago, he was not treated well by his Iranian captors, the ACLJ said.