© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.

Wife Of Boise Pastor Freed From Iran Reacts To News Of His Release

Katherine Jones
/
Idaho Statesman

The wife of an Idaho pastor who is among four detained Americans being released from Iran says a "huge burden" is being lifted with the news.

Naghmeh Abedini told The Associated Press that after she learned that Saeed Abedini was to be released early Saturday, she woke her kids up shortly afterward and told them "Daddy was coming home." She says they were excited and couldn't believe it.

The Boise man was detained for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing, in September 2012. He was sentenced in 2013 to 8 years in prison.

U.S. officials say Saeed Abedini and three other Americans were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland and then taken to a U.S. military hospital in Germany for medical treatment. U.S. officials also say a fifth American was released, but it was not related to the that release.

Naghmeh Abedini says it's been "a really hard battle" over the past few years and that she is looking forward to her husband's return.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.