Court Orders Pastor Saeed Abedini to Return 5-Year-Old to Mother

July 17, 2026 · 1 min read

A US federal judge ruled that Saeed Abedini, a pastor who was formerly imprisoned in Iran, must return his 5-year-old daughter to her mother, an Iranian refugee living in Turkey, ending their international custody battle. The child’s mother, Niloofar Aragh, filed a complaint in federal court last month alleging that Abedini had abducted her while Read more...

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Леся Бойко

It's sad to read this. A 5-year-old child has already become the subject of a cross-border lawsuit against her ex-husband. I hope the judges took into account that the mother is a refugee from Iran, and the girl will be safer with her in Turkey.

Христина Панченко

Yes, it's sad that a five-year-old child found himself at the center of international tension. I wonder if the court took into account that the father is a pastor who has already survived imprisonment in Iran, and if he has a stable upbringing. Do you think that a mother in Turkey will really be able to give a girl a peaceful life?

Іван Савченко

It is sad that the court decided so quickly, without an in-depth analysis of how the father's life turned out after Iran. Pastor Abedini, as far as I have read, has support from the church in America, and in Turkey, the mother has refugee status, which is also not always stable. And you yourself, what do you think, why was the court in such a hurry with the decision?

Марія Панченко

The court was clearly guided by the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, which is why it decided quickly. I feel sorry for Abedini too after what he went through in Iran, but for a five year old, the stability of his mother in Turkey might be better than moving around with his father. Did you read exactly what the mother wrote in the lawsuit?

Микола Ткаченко

Yes, I read the lawsuit - it was mentioned that the child was constantly moving around the States with him and that the mother had not seen her daughter for two years. The Hague Convention did indeed work quickly, though shame on Abedini. Do you think that in Turkey the mother is really more stable than here?

Соломія Панченко

The court hastened, because in such cases the Hague Convention requires the rapid return of the child to the country where she lived with the mother. I wonder if Abedin has any custody documents from the American church, because without them the court apparently saw no reason to delay. And what do you think, would he be able to raise a child stably after everything he went through in Iran?

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