VOA常速英语2019--美国谴责伊朗政府迫害宗教自由（在线收听）

In his address at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in July, Vice President Mike Pence described the Iranian regime as one of world’s worst violators of religious liberty:

The Iranian people enjoy few, if any freedoms – least of all the freedom of religion. Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Baha’is and other religious minorities are denied the most basic rights enjoyed by the Shia majority.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Vice Chair Gayle Manchin has chosen an Iranian prisoner of conscience for a project the Commission instituted to bring attention to the plight of individuals persecuted solely for what they believe, and to pressure the government to respect their religious liberty.

That prisoner is Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, an Iranian author and women’s rights defender who is serving a six-year prison sentence for the so-called crimes of spreading propaganda and insulting Islamic sanctities, after authorities discovered an unpublished story she wrote critical of stoning.

She was put on trial twice. Neither time was she allowed to speak for herself, nor were her lawyers allowed to represent her… This is a woman that has been taken away from her family merely for bringing out the cruelty of stoning women for adultery in a country.

Commission Vice Chair Nadine Maenza is also highlighting an Iranian prisoner of conscience: Youcef Nadarkhani, a pastor and Christian convert, who spent years in prison and at one point was sentenced to death for apostasy, though he was later acquitted. But in July 2018 Pastor Nadarkhani was detained again to serve a 10-year prison sentence for acting against national security by promoting Zionist Christianity and running house churches, as Ms. Maenza recounted:

The Iranian police tried to knock his door down in the middle of the night. His son opened the door. They lazered him with an electric taser to the ground and then beat Pastor Nadarkhani before arresting him and taking him to prison. He’s now serving a 10 year sentence in Evin prison in Tehran which is one of the worst prison in the world.

At the Ministerial, Vice President Pence emphasized that the United States will continue to call out the persecution of religious minorities in Iran. And he had a message for the long-suffering Iranian people: Even as we stand strong against the leaders in Tehran, know that we are with you… And we urge you to press on with courage in the cause of freedom.

在促进宗教自由部长级会议上发表讲话时，副总统彭斯称伊朗政权是世界上破坏宗教自由最严重的政权之一：

如果要说伊朗人民有享受到什么自由的话，那也很少——其中最少的当属宗教自由。基督教、犹太教、逊尼派、巴哈伊等宗教少数群体无法获得什叶派多数群体所享受的最基本的宗教自由。

美国国际宗教自由委员会副主席盖尔选择了一位伊朗有良知的囚犯参加该委员会发起的一个项目，该项目旨在让人们注意到单纯因为个人信仰而受到迫害的一些人的苦楚，同时也是为了向伊朗政府施压，让其尊重宗教自由。

这位囚犯名为易卜拉希米，她是一名伊朗作家，也是女权的捍卫者，他服刑6年，原因是他犯下了所谓的宗教传播罪，冒犯了伊斯兰的圣洁，因为伊朗当局发现她写了一个批判石刑的文章，虽然该文章并未发表。

这名作家曾两次受审。这两次审判期间，她都不允许为自己做辩护，她的几位律师也无法为她发声……这名女子与家人天各一方只是因为她说出了一个国家将通奸女子处以石刑的残酷。

该委员会副主席纳丁也着重提及了一位有良知的伊朗囚犯：优素福。他是一名牧师，信仰伊斯兰教。他入狱多年，曾因背教而背叛死刑。不过，随后他又得到了释放。但在2018年月，优素福再次遭到拘禁，要服刑10年，原因是他违背了国家安全，因为他弘扬犹太复国主义的基督教，还运营着几个教堂。关于他，副主席纳丁表示：

伊朗警方曾试图半夜敲他家房门。他儿子开了门。警方用泰瑟枪将他扫射在地，然后殴打了这位牧师，并将他逮捕到监狱中。他现在已在德黑兰的艾文监狱中入狱10年，该监狱是伊朗条件最差的监狱。

在部长级会议上，副总统彭斯强调说，美国将继续呼吁伊朗不要发生迫害宗教少数群体的行为。他为长期处于水深火热的伊朗人民传递了一则信息：我们极力反对伊朗领导人，我们知道自己会一直支持你们。我们也敦促你们继续带着勇气前行，为自由的事业而奋斗。