Disabled mom of imprisoned Christian in Iran pleads for son's freedom

The visually impaired elderly mother of an imprisoned Iranian Christian pleaded for justice and his son's release.

According to Mohabat News, Ebrahim Firouzi's mother cried as she addressed judicial authorities and cited how her disability prevented her from helping her son by going from court to court to follow up on his case.

She also implored for her son's freedom as she's not been able to visit him since his arrest in August 2013 because of her handicap.

Authorities held Firouzi in one of Iran's notorious prisons, Gohardasht or Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj, northwest of Tehran, where he's sentenced to five years on charges of espionage.

Firouzi's first arrest dated back in January 2011 for which he spent 154 days behind bars. His next arrest happened in March 2013 for which he spent 53 days in the infamous Evin prison.

Authorities reportedly assaulted the Christian prisoner on his way to court last month. Firouzi previously wrote an open letter where he revealed that he would not attend the said court hearing after officials prevented his lawyer's visits and access to legal documents. However, the scheduled hearing was postponed because of the judge's absence.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) called out the trend of repeated arrests against Christians in the country. The U.K.-based Christian organization cited the Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani as an apparent example.

The church leader first spent a year behind bars in 2012 and 2013 on charges of apostasy for which the court acquitted him.

Authorities then arrested the prominent pastor of Church of Iran on May 13 and released him July 24 but only to give him one week to raise 100 million Iranian tomans (approximately US$ 33,000) bond or face prison again.

"We are deeply concerned by these developments and await further clarification regarding the reasons for these arrests," said CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.

"Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Christians who have been arrested on account of their religious beliefs to be released and re-arrested time and again, in a tactic designed to foster a sense of insecurity within the community," Thomas added.