An Iranian judiciary official has denied reports that Youssef Nadar-Khani, an Iranian citizen, has been sentenced to death for converting to Christianity Press TV reports.
“Youssef Nadar-Khani has been charged with a crime and is in a prison based on an arrest warrant issued against him,” Gilan Province Judiciary Chief Mohammad-Javad Heshmati said on Wednesday.
“There has been no execution order. No conviction at all has been issued yet and it is up to the court to finally decide the verdict after studying his case,” he added.
The official noted that further information will be released to the public “after the investigations and the court sessions are over.”
On Saturday, Deputy Governor of Gilan Province Ali Rezvani said Nadar-Khani is guilty of security charges and running a brothel but his verdict has not been finalized.
“This individual is guilty and his crime is not attempting to convert others to Christianity, rather his crimes are of a security nature,” he stated.
Western media have manipulated the case of Nadar-Khani, a convicted rapist and extortionist in Gilan Province, to wage an anti-Iran publicity campaign by falsely claiming that his criminal conviction his conversion to Christianity and acting as a 'priest.'
Iran has firmly refuted Western allegations of violating human rights, insisting that Nadar-Khani has a history of committing violent crimes and that he has never received a death penalty for his religious preference.
SF/MB
