Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, 540-538-4741

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pastor Saeed is an American citizen who has been sentenced to 8 years in a brutal Iranian prison for Christian faith.

The small prayer vigil will begin on Tuesday, January 28 at 4:30 p.m. and will be held on the public sidewalk in front of the eastern Senate stairs of the Capitol Building.

The Capitol grounds will be closed at 5:00 p.m. for a security reasons before the President delivers his address at 9:00 p.m.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition and a key organizer for the release of Pastor Saeed, states,

"Our hope and prayer is that President Obama will call for the release of Pastor Saeed in his State of the Union Address as well as discuss religious freedom around the world.

"We have put a request in to the White House for the President to speak on these very pressing issues concerning Pastor Saeed and people across the globe being persecuted for their faith.

"It would send a powerful message to Iran and the world if President Obama would address the release of Pastor Saeed and the need to embrace religious freedom.

"Tragically the Obama Administration has shown no public commitment toward securing the release of Pastor Saeed from a brutal 8 year Iranian prison sentence or embracing religious freedom and the persecuted church around the world.

"It is troubling that the First Lady is having Jason Collins, a multi-million dollar professional basketball player as her guest, but has not reached out to the family of Pastor Saeed who is being persecuted daily for his Christian faith in Iran.

"Pastor Saeed is an American citizen and pastor, yet neither President Obama nor the First Lady have once called his wife, Naghmeh, giving her encouragement or pledging U. S. support for his release.

"We think it is very important that Saeed is represented at the U.S. Capitol on the day of the State of the Union and we are thrilled that the last public event held before the SOTU is a prayer vigil and public witness to honor him and the persecuted church."

For more information or interviews call:
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 540.538.4741