Pastor Faces Death in Iran for Apostasy; John Boehner Urges Iran to ‘Abandon this dark path, spare Yousef Nadarkhani’s life, and grant him a full and unconditional release.’

Nina Shea has written about Yousef Nadarkhani’s plight — he faces imminent execution — here and here. The Speaker of the House John Boehner insists Iran respect this man’s “Religious freedom” and “human dignity,” in a statement released this morning: 

Religious freedom is a universal human right. The reports that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be sentenced to death by the Iranian government unless he disavows his Christian faith are distressing for people of every country and creed. While Iran’s government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran’s leaders to abandon this dark path, spare Yousef Nadarkhani’s life, and grant him a full and unconditional release.