ICC Report: “Iran Continues the Illegal Detention of Christian Converts”

— ICC reports:
— International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Iranian authorities told Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh, converts from Islam to Christianity, to recant their Christian faith during a hearing before a revolutionary court in Tehran on August 9.”
— “Maryam, 27, and Marzieh, 30, were first arrested on March 5, 2009, for leaving Islam.  Iranian authorities kept them in solitary confinement at the infamous Evin prison, deprived them of medical attention, and blindfolded and interrogated them for long periods of time.”
— “At the time of hearing before the court, the deputy public prosecutor, Haddad, asked Maryam and Marzieh about their faith and told them to recant their belief in Christ.  When he asked them if they were Christians, they replied, ‘We love Jesus.’ He then repeated his question, and they said, ‘Yes, we are Christians.'”
— “When he said, ‘You were Muslims and now you have become Christians,’ their reply was ‘We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims.'”
— “During the questioning, when they made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit, the deputy public prosecutor said, ‘It is impossible for God to speak with humans.’ In return, Marzieh asked, ‘Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?’ The prosecutor replied, ‘You are not worthy for God to speak to you.’  Then Marzieh said, ‘It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy.'”
— “At the end of the hearing, the deputy prosecutor told them to take time to think about the option of returning back to Islam, but Maryam and Marzieh replied, ‘We have already done our thinking.'”
— “After the questioning, they were taken back to the prison.”