Sunni Clerics Barred from Entering Iran’s Zahedan

Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric has protested against the prevention of a number of Sunni clerics from entering the southeastern city of Zahedan, calling such actions a manifestation of the "narrow-mindedness" of the Islamic Republic's Shia leadership.

Molavi Abdulhamid emphasized that Sunnis "are a part of the country and should not face obstacles when traveling to Zahedan, Chabahar or other cities and provinces."

"The general populace wants freedom in the country and a less oppressive atmosphere," the outspoken Sunni prayer leader of Zahedan added. 

Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people. 

It was previously reported that Molavi Habib-ur-Rahman Motahari, the director of the Hanaf-e-Khaf seminary, and a group of Sunni clerics had been prevented from traveling to Zahedan. 

Security forces also blocked the entry of Molavi Fazl-Rahman Kohi, the Friday prayer leader of Sarbaz and director of Anwar-ul-Haramein Seminary.

According to Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations in the province, security and military forces have been conducting vehicle checks at Zahedan’s entry points since the evening of October 16. 

It said that members of the Baluch community are often mistreated and are occasionally prevented from entering the city.

Zahedan has seen protest rallies almost every Friday since September 30 of last year, when security forces killed nearly 100 people in the deadliest incident in the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini.

Last month, protesters in multiple cities across Sistan and Baluchistan marked the one-year anniversary of Bloody Friday. Dozens of people were arrested or injured in the crackdown by security forces, including several children.