Former Friday Prayer Leader of Rask Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

The Special Court for Clergy in Mashhad has sentenced Mawlawi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the former Sunni Friday prayer leader of Rask, to five years in prison. This sentence has also been confirmed by the Supreme Court of the country. Mawlawi Abdulghaffar Naqshbandi, the son of Mawlawi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, announced this news on his Telegram channel on December 5. Mawlawi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi is currently imprisoned in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. He was abducted on August 20, 2023, while traveling from Rask to Chabahar and has been imprisoned for over 15 months. On the afternoon of that day, the judiciary of Sistan and Baluchestan announced his arrest. Mr. Naqshbandi is accused of 'disturbing public opinion through false speeches, defamation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, actions against national security, and illegal seizure of national lands.' At the same time, 'Halosh,' which covers news in Sistan and Baluchestan, reported that Mr. Naqshbandi's arrest was 'accompanied by humiliation and insult' in front of his companions. The Iranian judiciary announced the arrest of Mawlawi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi. His son stated that his father had not met with his family for about a year and after that had only met with his children once under 'strict security measures.' He had previously been arrested twice with Mawlawi Abdulghaffar Naqshbandi, his son, and imprisoned for five years. The report from the Telegram channel of the former Friday prayer leader of Rask states that the Islamic Republic has taken his father 'hostage' due to his activities, despite his old age. Mawlawi Abdulghaffar Naqshbandi is a Sunni cleric and critic of the government, and after the news of the rape of a 15-year-old Baluch girl, for which the then police commander of Chabahar was accused, he was the first Sunni cleric to confirm the incident and called for the prosecution and punishment of this police official. He recently announced his presence outside Iran through a video. This sentence was issued at a time when Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, visited Sistan and Baluchestan on his first provincial trip with the slogan of 'implementing justice' and met with Abdulhamid Ismailzahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan. Mawlawi Abdulhamid called for strengthening 'unity' between Shia and Sunni during this meeting.