“A Tehran appeals court upheld an eight-year prison sentence against an American-Iranian pastor jailed for his role in establishing underground churches in Iran, his lawyer told ISNA news agency Monday. Saeed Abedini, a US citizen who converted from Islam to Christianity, was handed the sentence in January. In March, UN Secretary of State John Kerry demanded Abedini’s release after he was sentenced to eight years in prison for ‘creating a private church in his house’ and ‘harming national security.’ The confirmation of the verdict coincided with a visit to Tehran by Oman’s Sultan Qaboos, who has acted as an intermediary between Iran and the Washington.”
