Iranian pastor may be charged as a traitor

Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, originally arrested on apostasy charges and sentenced to death, now could be accused of Zionism and could be in more danger than ever, one of his chief American advocates said Oct. 3.

"The charge of being a Zionist and thus a traitor, terms that imply he is some kind of spy for Israel and opponent of the Islamic Republic, is among the most serious accusations that can be made in Iran," Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, wrote in an update on the group's website.

Sekulow said Zionism is the charge Iran levies "to justify executing people who were actually arrested, imprisoned and tried on completely different charges."

"While these new charges may be, as I said before, an attempt to deflect media and international attention, the fact that it is possible the pastor could actually face these charges means that his life is in more danger now than it has been at any other time since the trial began," Sekulow wrote. To read more, click here.