Naghmeh Abedini
By David Ashby
Naghmeh Abedini remembers the day in September 2012 when her life, in her words, “crumbled.”
Her husband Saeed, a Christian pastor, was visiting Iran at the time to see his family and work on the construction of an orphanage.
“I got a call at midnight from his mom and she was crying, saying they took her son,” Naghmeh said.
Saeed had been in Iran since July, and in earlier correspondence with his wife from that time, he had been concerned because the Iranian government had confiscated his passport.
In September, five members of the Revolutionary Guard raided his home in the early morning hours and arrested him. In January 2013 he was sentenced to eight years in prison because of his evangelical Christian activities, which Iranian authorities claimed were undermining national security.
He was soon transferred to Evin Prison, where he has been held in solitary confinement and tortured. Naghmeh said he has suffered extensive injuries from the torture, including internal bleeding.