Marziyeh Amirizadeh

Marziyeh Amirizadeh
Born (1978-11-25) November 25, 1978
Rafsanjan, Iran
EducationMaster of Science in International Affairs
Alma materGeorgia Institute of Technology
OccupationsAuthor, international speaker, activist

Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian-American author whose imprisonment in Iran's Evin Prison attracted international attention and concern.[1] In 2009, Amirizadeh and Maryam Rostampour were sentenced to execution by hanging for converting to Christianity in Iran.[2][3][4] They were detained in the notorious Evin Prison for 259 days[5][6][7] where they were tortured and interrogated.[8]

After gaining freedom, Amirizadeh and Rostampour wrote Captive in Iran which detailed their experiences.[6][9]

Amirizadeh became an American citizen in 2016 and campaigned in the 2022 Georgia House of Representatives election as a Republican.[10][11] In 2022, she also completed her second book, A Love Journey with God, which details her difficult upbringing and journey to Christianity as well as further details of her imprisonment in Iran.[12][13]

Early life and conversion

Amirizadeh was born in the southern province of Kerman, Iran. In her early adulthood, she converted to Christianity, a decision that led her to engage in distributing Bibles, and whose conversion to Christianity was considered apostasy, a capital crime under Iranian Islamic law.[14][15][16]

Arrest and imprisonment

On March 5, 2009, Amirizadeh, along with her co-religionist Maryam Rostampour, was arrested in Iran on multiple charges including apostasy, blasphemy, anti-government activities, promoting Christianity, acting against state security, and participating in illegal gatherings. During her 259-day imprisonment, Amirizadeh faced solitary confinement, threats of torture, unsanitary living conditions, interrogations and discriminatory treatment due to her faith, and threats of execution by hanging.[16][17][18][19]

Amirizadeh was released on November 18, 2009,[20] following international pressure on the Iranian regime from entities such as the Holy See, the US State Department, and the United Nations.[21]

Emigration to the United States

After her release, Amirizadeh moved to Turkey, where she applied for asylum in the United States. In 2011, her asylum application was approved, and she moved to America. She became a US citizen in 2016 and gained a Master of Science in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 2019.[12][16][22]

Career and advocacy

Amirizadeh supports the restoration of relations between Iran and Israel, saying that both the Iranian and Israeli peoples share common concerns regarding the ruling Iranian regime.[22]

Amirizadeh has written two books. Her first, "Captive in Iran", was co-written with Maryam Rostampour, chronicles their experiences of imprisonment and persecution in Iran.[15][23] Her second book, A Love Journey with God, published in 2022, talked about her upbringing, conversion to Christianity, and the challenges she faced both in Iran and during her journey to the United States.[15][24][25]

Political engagement

In 2022, Amirizadeh ran for election in the Georgia House of Representatives as a Republican, further extending her commitment to public service and advocacy for causes she believes in.[26]

Amirizadeh is currently the president of New Persia, a non-profit organisation which describes itself as "advocat[ing] on behalf of persecuted Christians in Iran and other extremist Islamic societies", aiming to "empower many women who are suffering under Islam based on deep-seated misogyny".[27]

References

  1. ^ "Iran: Prisoners of conscience / Medical concern". Amnesty International. 2009. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  2. ^ Feldstein, Jonathan (14 September 2023). "Iran's Season of Judgement". Townhall. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Captive in Iran". Hudson Institute. 27 November 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Voices of Evin: Maryam Rostampour & Marziyeh Amirizadeh". Tortoise Media. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ Judd, Emily (11 February 2020). "Meet the two women who spread Christianity to hundreds in Iran's Evin prison". Al Arabiya English. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b DeGennaro, Nancy (2017-03-17). "Iranian women share story of conversion to Christianity". The Daily News Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  7. ^ Sseruyigo, Aaron (16 August 2020). "Iran: Prison turns into a church after arrest of 2 persecuted Christians". Uganda Christian News. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  8. ^ Schrauger, Brian (19 May 2023). "An encounter with Marziyeh Amirizadeh: Iranian Christian activist". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  9. ^ Rostampour, Maryam; Amirizadeh, Marziyeh; Perry, John (2013). Captive in Iran: a remarkable true story of hope and triumph amid the horror of Tehran's brutal Evin Prison. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale Momentum, an Imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4143-7120-7. OCLC 805051365.
  10. ^ Lee, Maggie (10 October 2022). "Marziyeh Marzi Amirizadeh". Atlanta Civic Circle.
  11. ^ "Marziyeh Amirizadeh seeks election for District 67". Newnan Times-Herald. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b Feldstein, Jonathan (21 April 2023). "Iranian Christian Marzi Amirizadeh: From death row to Shabbat table". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Exiled Iranian Christian Woman Tells Inspiring Story of Faith, Courage under Persecution". CBN News. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Iran: Prisoners of conscience / Medical concern". Amnesty International. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  15. ^ a b c Melilli, Jacquelin (2024-01-29). "Sentenced to Death For Her Faith – Marziyeh Amirizadeh's Story". Vision Christian Media. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  16. ^ a b c Perkins, Tony (30 September 2021). "PVSS Marziyeh Amirizadeh Bio". FRC. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  17. ^ "Iranian Christian Marzi Amirizadeh: From death row to Shabbat table". The Jerusalem Post - Christian World. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  18. ^ "Iran: Prisoners of conscience / Medical concern". Amnesty International. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  19. ^ Melilli, Jacquelin (2024-01-29). "Sentenced to Death For Her Faith – Marziyeh Amirizadeh's Story". Vision Christian Media. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  20. ^ jtsullivan (2009-11-19). "Iran: Maryam and Marzieh RELEASED!". Jubilee Campaign USA. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  21. ^ Fletcher, Martin (2017-11-23). "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is in the most brutal prison in the world". The Times. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  22. ^ a b Stringfellow, Robert (2023-07-30). "Celebrating a Modern Persian Heroine | Nashville Christian Family Magazine". nashchristian.com. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  23. ^ "Captive in Iran". Marzi's Journey. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  24. ^ "A Love Journey with God". Marzi's Journey. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  25. ^ Amirizadeh, Marziyeh (2022). A Love Journey with God From Pain to Love, Captivity to Freedom, Iran to the US. Bowker. ISBN 979-8985463170.
  26. ^ "Marziyeh Amirizadeh". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  27. ^ "MISSION". New Persia. Retrieved 2025-03-13.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.