Human rights sources reported on Sunday, June 17, the arrest of four Sunni clerics from the city of Khaf by security forces in Urmia. According to these sources, the four clerics from the Hanafi seminary in Khaf, Razavi Khorasan province, were arrested on June 13 while returning from a trip to western Iran and were transferred to an unknown location. The identities of these individuals have been disclosed as Shams al-Din Motahari (son of the head of the Hanafi seminary), Hossein Ahmad Shahidi, Fazel Moradi, and Gol Mohammad Mansouri, all professors at the Hanafi seminary in Khaf. The reports indicate that this arrest occurred without a judicial order, while these clerics had traveled to western Iran about ten days prior and were returning to their city. So far, there is no information regarding their detention location or the charges against them. The judiciary news agency reported the commutation of the death sentence of Mowlavi Khodrnejad to imprisonment. The news source 'Halosh,' which covers news from Sistan and Baluchestan, stated that these individuals were arrested without being informed of the charges by plainclothes security forces in Urmia. These arrests come amid increasing pressure on Sunni clerics, particularly in Sistan and Baluchestan and Razavi Khorasan provinces, in recent months. Following the Maki Mosque incident in Zahedan on October 30, 2022, and the support of Sunni scholars for the families of victims and the injured, pressure on this group has intensified. In the shooting at those who intended to hold a protest gathering after Friday prayers in Zahedan on October 30, 2022, several were killed, with human rights sources reporting the number to be over 100. Mowlavi Abdul Hamid Ismailzahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, emphasized in his latest remarks during the Friday prayer sermon on June 15 that, 'We said to condemn the bloody Friday incident in Zahedan and win the hearts of the people, but they could not even do that.' He added, 'During the thirteenth government, many Sunni prayer houses in cities were closed, and the document of the central Sunni prayer house in Tehran was illegally registered in the names of others, and prayers were suspended.'
Four Sunni Clerics Arrested in Urmia
Four Sunni clerics from Khaf were arrested by security forces in Urmia while returning from a trip. Their detention occurred without a judicial order, reflecting increasing pressure on Sunni clerics in Iran, particularly after the Zahedan mosque incident. This situation highlights ongoing tensions between the government and the Sunni community.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Iranian security forces arrested four Sunni clerics in Urmia without judicial orders.
- Iranian security forces arrest Shams al-Din Motahari, Hossein Ahmad Shahidi, Fazel Moradi, Gol Mohammad Mansouri
- Iranian security forces transfer Shams al-Din Motahari, Hossein Ahmad Shahidi, Fazel Moradi, Gol Mohammad Mansouri
- Iranian judiciary commute Mowlavi Khodrnejad
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The arrests signify a troubling trend of increasing repression against religious minorities.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%