Day 22 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

For any society to enjoy freedom and prosperity one of three critical components is a reasonable expectation of justice. In a repressive justice system the individual will seek anonymity rather than pursuing his dreams for fear of losing what little liberty he has. A preferential system will breed corruption. Neither allows for a free exercise of religion.

‘He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’

Today we pray that justice and mercy will prevail in Iran.

Iran has multiple security organizations and judicial institutions. The regular police and the civil judiciary are generally recognized as doing a good job and we should give them credit. Use of torture is against regulations, although reports of it exist even in the domestic press. The streets are relatively safe and the police work hard to fight crime. Tourists and visitors to Iran often report they felt safer in Iran than in some Western countries.

However, the multiple security organizations in operation, the largest of which is the Revolutionary Guards, seek to enforce Islamic principles and deal with ‘enemies’ of the state. They bring these ‘criminals’ not to the civil courts, but to the Islamic Revolutionary Courts.

Anyone in Iran can be brought before the Revolutionary Courts, and this is one of the most frightening aspects for citizens in Iran. The accused have no guarantee of legal counsel and do not have procedural safeguards. Furthermore there have been many reports of torture used to extract false confessions. International groups such as Amnesty International have constantly denounced these courts for falling well below international standards. It is these courts who have charged Christians from a Muslim background with apostasy.

In addition to imprisonment, all the courts can impose fines, amputations, flogging, and the death sentence as punishments. In 2002 the head of the judiciary announced a moratorium on stoning.

In recent years, Iran’s prison population has risen to over 160,000 prisoners. Conditions in prison are very basic and Iran has attracted criticism for executing political prisoners as well as criticism for executing people convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

Please join intercessors around the globe to pray that justice may flow like a river in Iran according to Amos 5:24.

* Pray for all the judges and lawyers working in the traditional, civil courts. Pray that they will receive a special revelation of the true wisdom that Proverbs speaks of and that they will do what is right and just and fair. (Proverbs 1:2,3)

* Pray that the civil judiciary and regular police will be considered sufficient for delivering safety and justice in Iran. Pray the Revolutionary Courts will be dismantled.

* Pray for the abolition of the law of Apostasy. Pray there will be freedom of religion and there will be no prisoners of conscience.

* Pray for all prisoners, especially those facing the death sentence, that the Holy Spirit will miraculously show them the cross of Christ.

Thanks very much for praying.

religion Christianity Iran