Mehdi Dibaj
Mehdi Dibaj | |
|---|---|
 Mehdi Dibaj | |
| Born | 1935 Iran |
| Died | 5 July 1994 |
Mehdi Dibaj (1935 – June/July 1994) was an Iranian
.Background
Dibaj became a Christian as a young man and joined the Presbyterian church, but years later, he joined the church of Assembly of God, the Iranian branch of the
Sari and systematically tortured. During his imprisonment he was held in solitary confinement in a dark cell a metre in height, width and depth for two years.[1] He was finally tried by an Islamic court in Sari on 3 December 1993 and sentenced to death on charges of apostasy.[citation needed
]
On 18 January 1994, Bernard Levin reprinted Dibaj's courtroom speech in place of his usual column in The Times as a mark of respect.[2]
Following a worldwide outcry initiated by his friend and colleague Bishop
murdered.[4][5] The Times article and the murder of Hovsepian Mehr was alluded to in a debate in the House of Lords on Iran, and Viscount Brentford cited Levin's comment, 'how insubstantial must the grasp on a religion be, if it has to be propped up by hangings and woundings and beatings and murderings?'[5]
Dibaj was abducted on Friday, 24 June 1994.[1] His body was found in a west Tehran park on Tuesday, 5 July 1994.[3]
See also
- List of kidnappings
- List of solved missing person cases
- List of unsolved murders
References
- ^ a b "Obituary: Mehdi Dibaj". Independent. 7 July 1994. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ Levin, Bernard (15 January 1994). "Written Defence of the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj Delivered to the Sari Court of Justice". The Times.
- ^ a b "Mehdi Dibaj profile". www.iranrights.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Fear for the lives of church leaders" (PDF). Amnesty International Bulletin UA 262/94. 6 June 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ a b "House of Lords debate on Iran". Hansard. 3 March 1994. pp. 1183–204. Retrieved 2 January 2019.