Iran’s Top Sunni Cleric Calls for Justice for Girl in Coma

October 6, 2023

2 min read

Molavi Abdulhamid, Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric, used his Friday sermon to urge the country’s authorities to investigate a recent incident that left a 16-year-old girl in a coma, and to bring those responsible to justice

Armita Geravand has been hospitalized since October 1, when she collapsed in a Tehran subway train due to what the authorities called a “drop in blood pressure.”

However, a witness has told IranWire that a chador-clad woman “physically assaulted Armita and pushed” her during an altercation over the teenager’s lack of head covering.

"All Iranian citizens are concerned about her well-being, and the entire world is closely monitoring the news," Abdulhamid, the outspoken Sunni Friday prayer leader of the southeastern city of Zahedan, said on October 6.

"It must be investigated, and those responsible must be held accountable. The only way to appease the public is to ensure that justice prevails and the culprits face consequences," he added.

At the behest of Molavi, Zahedan residents held a silent march in the city after Friday prayers, according to local reports.

Molavi has been a key dissenting voice inside Iran since the eruption of nationwide anti-establishment protests in September last year, using his sermons to call for fundamental economic, social and political changes in the country.

The monthslong protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation. The authorities responded to the women-led protest movement with a brutal crackdown that has claimed the lives of more than 500 people. Thousands of others have been unlawfully arrested and prosecuted.

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

The restive city 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.