The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) said the Obama administration betrayed U.S. pastor Saeed Abedini by not securing his release from an Iranian prison before reaching an interim agreement with the country on Sunday.
ACLJ issued the strongly worded statement just after the United States, Iran, and other world powers reached a temporary deal that critics say would ease financial sanctions on Iran but not significantly lengthen its nuclear breakout time:
"President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry turned their backs on a U.S. citizen by refusing to secure his freedom before reaching an agreement with Iran," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. "It is outrageous and a betrayal of American pastor Saeed Abedini who has spent more than a year in an Iranian prison simply because of his Christian faith. The Obama Administration has left pastor Saeed behind. And by failing to secure his release as a precondition to any negotiations, the Obama administration sends a troubling message to the Iranian government that Americans are expendable."
Abedini received an eight-year prison sentence last year for preaching at Christian house churches in Iran. He was moved earlier this month to Iran’s notorious Rajai Shahr Prison, where he shares a 10ft x 10ft cell with murderers and rapists.
The Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution on Nov. 14 calling on Iran to release Abedini and all other religious prisoners, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar measure last week. An online petition advocating for Abedini’s release has garnered more than 240,000 signatures.
Activists have criticized U.S. officials for appearing to ignore Iran’s repeated human rights abuses while they pursued a nuclear accord. Iran routinely jails political dissidents, executes prisoners after hasty trials, persecutes religious minorities, imprisons critical journalists, and curtails the free speech rights of its citizens.
An administration spokesman told Fox News that Abedini was not part of the talks because they "focused exclusively on nuclear issues."