Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who now risks being sentenced to death for his conversion to Christianity, had been accused of the crime of apostasy, and his lawyer continues to be optimistic. This was confirmed by the lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, asked about statements made by the deputy governor of the northern province of Ghilan, reported by Fars news agency and picked up by Ansa, according to whom the pastor risks the death penalty because he is a "Zionist" and has committed crimes against national security.
«In Court he was accused only of apostasy", Dadkhah said, "and my defense was based on this accusation".
And even if, he confirmed, Nadarkhani has not renounced his Christian faith before the judges, the lawyer said he was "optimistic" about the possibility of his being released.
Dadkhah himself is in a difficult position, since he was recently sentenced to nine years in prison, and banned from his profession for ten, as well as being given a fine and five lashes for his work with the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, founded by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Although he is currently free, he may be convened at any time to serve his sentence.
Converted to Protestantism, Nadarkhani has become the spiritual leader of a small evangelical community which calls itself "Church of Iran".
Arrested in 2009 for apostasy, he was sentenced to death the following year, but the Supreme Court annulled the death sentence in July and referred the case to a panel of five judges of the court of Rashat in northern Iran.