Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization: Victims of Mina are Considered 'Martyrs'

The head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization states that Iranian pilgrims who lost their lives during this year's Hajj are considered 'martyrs', and their children will be exempt from military service, receive university entrance exam quotas, and can benefit from the insurance services of the Martyrs Foundation. According to ILNA news agency, on February 14, Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, reported that following the signing of a joint memorandum with the Leader's Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Martyrs Foundation, and the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, 'all victims of the Mina incident are considered martyrs.' Ohadi added that the 'replacement of gravestones' for the victims of Mina to inscribe the word 'martyr' is also the responsibility of the Martyrs Foundation, and the families will not have to pay for this. He stated, 'In this context, all children of the martyrs of Mina can benefit from university entrance exam quotas, witness schools and high schools, insurance services from the Martyrs Foundation, and exemption from military service.' On the second of October, during part of the Hajj rituals in Mina, hundreds of pilgrims of various nationalities were trampled to death. Tehran claims that a total of 465 Iranians lost their lives in this year's incident. Reuters reported that the total number of victims exceeded 2,000; hundreds of citizens from Indonesia, India, and Pakistan were also among the dead. The Mina incident led to a new wave of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia; tensions that have persisted for years and recently intensified with the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and attacks on its diplomatic missions in Iran. The Leader of the Islamic Republic threatened Saudi Arabia with a 'harsh and severe reaction' following the Mina incident. King Salman of Saudi Arabia also described criticisms regarding the management of the Hajj rituals as 'irresponsible' and 'politically motivated' without directly naming any country.