SW News: Yousef Nadarkhani, a prominent leader in the Iranian Christian community who had been imprisoned since 2016, was freed on February 26 as part of a countrywide amnesty issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Pastor Nadarkhani was released from prison on Sunday after spending years there for crimes his supporters say were connected to his work for the Church of Iran, the largest evangelical house church group in the Shia-dominant nation, according to CBN News.

He and one of the other imprisoned Christians, Deacon Saheb Fadaie, had 10-year sentences reduced to six-year terms in June 2020 after filing an appeal. According to reports, Deacon Fadaie was also freed at the most recent amnesty.

A previous case involving Pastor Nadarkhani and his execution sentence for "apostasy," or leaving Islam, gained international attention in 2010. In spite of this, the Iranian legal system reduced his sentence for "evangelizing Muslims" to three years before his release in 2012.

Yousef, Tina, and three other Muslims who converted to Christianity were imprisoned again in Rasht the same May. Along with three other individuals, he was convicted of "acting against national security by organizing house churches and supporting Zionist Christianity," according to sources.

Christian media said that the men were re-arrested in a series of raids in July of 2018, after having been released in 2017 on bond.

Iran is witnessing growing persecution of Muslim converts to Christianity and home churches are under constant surveillance. Although minorities are allowed freedom of worship, most often, evangelical believers and leaders are arrested on charges of proselytizing or plotting against the government.