Continued Protests in Sistan and Baluchestan Over Arrest of Sunni Cleric

As several websites report ongoing protests against the arrest of Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, a Sunni cleric, in the city of Sarbaz in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the 'Baluch Activists Campaign' also reported that a security council meeting was held with the presence of Sunni clerics regarding this issue. According to this report, the governor and head of intelligence of Sarbaz promised on Thursday, April 6, to release Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi and asked Sunni clerics to end the protests on this matter. The website stated that Hafiz Abdullah Malazahi, head of the 'Manba-ul-Uloom Kohan' seminary, said in this meeting that they cannot promise the protesters the release of Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, 'because we do not trust the promises of responsible officials.' The website also reported that Mawlawi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, expressed hope that Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi would be released soon. The website also published videos and photos of the protests against the arrest of this Sunni cleric. Meanwhile, the human rights website Hrana reported that many traders and shopkeepers in the cities of Sarbaz Kalat, Rask, Jakigour, Bideld, and Nasirabad closed their businesses in continuation of the protests in the region. According to the Sunni Online website, Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of 'Pashamg,' was 'arrested' by the Special Clerical Court of Mashhad on Tuesday, April 3, and remains in custody. Ali Mohammadi Rad, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Zahedan, did not mention the arrest of this Sunni cleric but only stated that he was summoned to the Special Clerical Court after 'several warnings' regarding 'maintaining unity.' Reports indicate that on Wednesday, April 5, protesters gathered in front of the Sarbaz governor's office against the arrest of Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, and some protesters 'burned tires and blocked the Iran-Shahr-Chabahar transit road' to protest the arrest of this Sunni cleric. Meanwhile, the Fars News Agency noted in a commentary referring to 'gatherings, sit-ins, and roadblocks' in this region that 'no ordinary person, governor, cleric, or minister has the right to step outside the framework of the law and then claim that the system should remain silent in front of them.' The 'Baluch Activists Campaign' also reported that some clerics protesting the arrest of Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, including Mawlawi Amin Askani, his deputy, and Mawlawi Abduljalil Naeemi, head of the Quranic education school in Sarbaz, have been 'threatened with summons.' The 'Baluch Activists Campaign' previously published statements from Mawlawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi criticizing 'the IRGC's plan to grant military service exemption cards and pay four million tomans to Sunni scholars who go to Syria for leisure.' According to this report, this Sunni cleric stated that 'any scholar or cleric who goes to Syria is not a scholar or cleric, but rather an oppressor.'