#FreeSaeed: Early Action Plan
We got their attention…now we must keep it and turn it into action.
EVERYONE: ACTION PLAN: By necessity, the action plans must become more detailed – so please read through completely. We want to contact the House committee members before Thursday.
However, the House of Representatives does not take emails unless you are a constituent, and they ask for address verification. So we need everyone to look at membership of the two committees involved in Thursday’s joint meeting.
There are 8 members in this one.
And there are 22 members in this one.
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/subcommittees/the-middle-east-and-north-africa
If you do not know your representative, you can find that info here. http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Many of us will not be able to email these people, but for those of you that see your representative, PLEASE EMAIL them on either Tuesday or Wednesday. We especially need YOUR help because of your unique position in being a constituent of a committee member. If possible, followup with a phone call to their Washington D.C office on Wednesday. The member’s name is also a link to their contact page.
Your email should be in your own words, but we believe it should include the following.
1. Expression of gratitude for having the hearing.
2. Mention you are a constituent but also one of thousands of concerned Americans united in the effort to see Saeed released. (You could paste a link to the facebook page here too)
3. Encouragement that he/she adjust schedule to attend the entire meeting to hear all the testimony.
4. Expression of concern that a recent deal with Iran was made without the good-faith action of Iran to release Saeed.
5. Request he/she uses all the power of their office to #FreeSaeed. (Use our hashtag reference)
For best results, please be respectful, nonpartisan, and focused on the issue of Saeed’s release only.
Our action plan has a second part for all of us not represented by one of the committee members. We will share that very soon.
Well, disappointed that my Rep isn’t on there, but I have some tweets to work on after I eat.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+12
Thanks for that passage, David! It was heartening.
Watch the hearing live Dec 12, 2013 9:30am.
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/joint-subcommittee-hearing-iran-s-persecution-american-pastor-abedini-worsens
Pretty sure that is Eastern Standard Time.
I wish I could see it, but I will be at work.
Contact information at your fingertips
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Ai1FNwnr6lCadHpoWmVkcWZZTlZHNDJZckJWQm5UZHc&output=html
I received this response today from Senator Dianne Feinstein..
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding the detention of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini in Iran. I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you may know, Mr. Abedini, an Iranian-born Christian minister living in Idaho, was detained in August 2012 while visiting family in Iran. On January 27, 2013, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Mr. Abedini was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes.
Please know that I share your deep concern for Mr. Abedini’s welfare. In my view, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. According to State Department Spokesman Darby Holladay, “We condemn Iran’s continued violation of the universal right of freedom of religion… Mr. Abedini’s attorney had only one day to present his defense, so we remain deeply concerned about the fairness and transparency of Mr. Abedini’s trial.” The State Department remains in close contact with Mr. Abedini’s family and is actively working to secure his release.
Like you, I believe that Iran must respect freedom of expression, association, and religion, as well as the democratic rights of its citizens. Please be assured that I will continue to closely monitor Mr. Abedini’s case, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should the Senate have the opportunity to discuss political freedoms in Iran or any legislation relevant to Mr. Abedini’s imprisonment.
Once again, thank you for writing, and I hope that you will continue to keep me informed about issues of importance to you. Should you have any further comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841, or visit my website at http://www.feinstein.senate.gov. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
I got a few of those as well, I believe them, God please let him come home for the holidays.
I received an e mail from the ACLJ (Jay Sekulow) containing a petition for Pastor Saeed and I wanted to paste it here but I couldn’t delete all my personal info. Anyone wanting to sign the petition can go to their website. American Center for law and Justice.