Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, 33, was jailed in October 2009. He had converted to Christianity when he was 19 and had become a pastor in a network of house churches in Iran.
His initial charge was protesting, which was later upgraded to apostasy and he was sentenced to death.
His charges were changed last Saturday to evangelizing Muslims, which carries a three-year sentence. But since Nadarkhani had already been in jail for three years, he was granted time served and freed, according to Fox News.
The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian organization, carried news of the pastor’s freedom and tweeted a picture of him meeting his family after arriving home.
The group’s legal director Tiffany Barrans said while they are happy for Nadarkhani’s release, Iran “felt obligated to save face among its people and continue its pattern of suppressing religious freedom with intimidation tactics.”
“International attention to this matter saved this man’s life, but we must not forget the human right of freedom of religion includes the right to freedom of expression,” Barrans said on Fox News.
While news of the pastor’s release was largely absent from Iranian state media, Christian evangelical organizations were at the forefront of reportage, a role they traditionally excel at given religious liberty cases in the developing world. One such group, the Present Truth Ministries, was able to connect with Nadarkhani after his release.
Nadarkhani expressed his gratitude for support during detention. “Thank you to everyone that has supported me with your prayers,” he told Present Truth Ministries.
Nadarkhani’s imprisonment and sentencing prompted a worldwide campaign for his release, eliciting condemnation from a number of countries and prominent personalities. A Twitter campaign advocating for his release reached to three million followers.