BOS NEWS LIFE: TEHRAN, IRAN -- Iran's parliament has accepted a law proposal stipulating the death penalty for "apostasy", adding to concerns about jailed Christians from Muslim backgrounds, rights watchers said Thursday, September 11.
The controversial proposal was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions, according to details released after the vote.
"The progress of this bill through the Iranian Parliament is a cause of grave concern for increasing numbers of Iranians who have left Islam for another religion," said the Britain-based influential religious rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "It is a significant backwards step for human rights in Iran."
Last week, two Christians from Muslim backgrounds, 53-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and 40-year-old Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat, were charged with apostasy at the Public and Revolutionary Court in the town of Shiraz. Prosecutors have already demanded the death penalty for the two men, who have been in detention since May 15, 2008, CSW said earlier. Iran Parliament Votes In Favor Of Death Penalty For Former Muslims: Jailed Christians Face Execution, Rights Watchers Say >>> By BosNewsLife News Center | September 11, 2008
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