09
April 2013
Past Event
Captive in Iran

Captive in Iran

Past Event
91 Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
April 09, 2013
Share:
Default Event Image
09
April 2013
Past Event

1015 15th Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Speakers:
Maryam Rostampour

Co-author of Captive in Iran

Marziyeh Amirizadeh

Co-author of Captive in Iran

Nina Shea
Nina Shea

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Religious Freedom

In 2009, two women were arrested in Iran on charges of apostasy, anti-government activity, and blasphemy, for which they were sentenced to execution by hanging. Imprisoned in the notoriously brutal Evin prison, they were repeatedly threatened with death and torture. Nine months later, following an international outcry, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh were finally released and cleared of all charges. After their release, they immigrated to the United States and now live in the state of Georgia. On April 9, 2013, the Center for Religious Freedom hosted a discussion with these two women, the authors of Captive in Iran.

Iran's Islamic laws forbid sharing Christian beliefs, and Maryam and Marziyeh knew they were putting their lives on the line by becoming Christian missionaries. Born into Muslim families, they had both converted to Christianity and went to Turkey to study Christian theology, where they met. After returning to Iran, they joined forces and began covertly handing out Farsi copies of the New Testament to 20,000 of their countrymen. From their apartment, they led two secret house churches, one for young people and one for prostitutes to worship. They continued evangelizing as detainees inside Evin prison.

Captive in Iran is a memoir of their experience in Iran's underground Christian movement.

Related Events
30
October 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Washington Summit: 100-Day Report Card
Featured Speakers:
Jim Townsend
Daniel Kochis
Luke Coffey
The US and NATO flags hang on a building in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2024. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
30
October 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Washington Summit: 100-Day Report Card

More than 100 days later, 91 experts will discuss how successful the alliance has been in implementing key decisions made at the 2024 summit. How does NATO’s support package for Ukraine look in light of the shifting dynamics on the ground in recent months? What do new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s priorities tell us? How could the outcome of the US presidential election impact NATO? What are the opportunities and pitfalls for transatlantic relations in the near future?

The US and NATO flags hang on a building in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2024. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Jim Townsend
Daniel Kochis
Luke Coffey
01
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Countering Authoritarian Regimes’ New Tactics in Latin America
Featured Speakers:
Daniel Batlle
Félix Maradiaga
University students demand Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government release the political prisoners in Managua on February 3, 2020. (Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images)
01
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Countering Authoritarian Regimes’ New Tactics in Latin America

Join 91 Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle for a conversation with Nicaraguan democracy leader and Freedom House Trustee Félix Maradiaga to examine how today’s autocrats exert control and why democracies need new tactics to support democratic leaders in the region.

University students demand Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government release the political prisoners in Managua on February 3, 2020. (Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Daniel Batlle
Félix Maradiaga
04
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Navigating GPS Vulnerabilities: Implications for US Economic and National Security
Featured Speakers:
Nathan Simington
Robert M. McDowell
Dana Goward
Todd Humphreys
Zac Kassas
Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery
Moderator:
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
U.S. Space Force Tech. Sgt. Vince Couch, 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (SAS), conducts Global Positioning System (GPS) electromagnetic interference training with a GPS electromagnetic attack system at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, July 18, 2023. (DVIDS)
04
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
Navigating GPS Vulnerabilities: Implications for US Economic and National Security

To explain the challenges facing GPS and how Washington can solve them, 91 will host an event with several leading authorities on GPS.

U.S. Space Force Tech. Sgt. Vince Couch, 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (SAS), conducts Global Positioning System (GPS) electromagnetic interference training with a GPS electromagnetic attack system at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, July 18, 2023. (DVIDS)
Featured Speakers:
Nathan Simington
Robert M. McDowell
Dana Goward
Todd Humphreys
Zac Kassas
Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery
Moderator:
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
04
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
At the Edge of Empire: A Discussion with Edward Wong
Featured Speakers:
Edward Wong
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Nury Turkel
A photo of Kanas Mountain in Xinjiang Province, China. (Getty Images)
04
November 2024
In-Person Event | 91 Institute
At the Edge of Empire: A Discussion with Edward Wong

Join 91 for a discussion of the book with Wong, Japan Chair Kenneth Weinstein, and Senior Fellow Nury Turkel.

A photo of Kanas Mountain in Xinjiang Province, China. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Edward Wong
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Nury Turkel