Molavi Abdulhamid Expresses Concern Over Possible Order to Expedite Executions of Sunni Prisoners

Molavi Abdulhamid Ismail Zahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, has expressed concern in a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, regarding reports of a "secret order" from the head of Iran's judiciary to expedite the "executions of Sunni convicts in drug-related cases." According to a report from the second of Esfand on the website of the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, he referenced the "concerns and worries of Sunnis" regarding this issue. The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan considered the recent executions of several Sunni citizens in various cities of the country related to drug cases as reasons that "strengthen the likelihood of the validity" of the secret order from the head of the judiciary. Molavi Abdulhamid Ismail Zahi wrote: "Regardless of the truth of this letter, the mentioned rumor has created concern and worry among the Sunnis. Therefore, addressing this issue requires your wise and paternal consideration." Molavi Abdulhamid's reference is to reports circulated on social media regarding the explicit execution of dozens of Sunni prisoners accused of drug offenses, which might have been mitigated by a new law recently approved by the Iranian parliament. Members of the Legal and Judicial Commission of the parliament agreed on Sunday, February 12, to add a clause to the Anti-Narcotics Law. According to this clause, instead of the death penalty for drug trafficking cases, alternative punishments will be substituted. On December 3 of this year, the Islamic Consultative Assembly had previously approved this proposal with urgency. Iranian officials had criticized the high number of drug-related executions in the country, which has drawn international reactions, and in this context, a member of parliament stated: "The Anti-Narcotics Law is a resolution of the Expediency Discernment Council, thus the parliament could not intervene in its amendment, but the Supreme Leader granted permission for the parliament to amend it, which is why the amendment of this law was put on the agenda by representatives." In this context, in November of this year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed serious concern over severe human rights violations in Iran in a resolution. This statement criticized the high rate of executions in Iran. The imposition of the death penalty for drug traffickers has been cited as one of the reasons for the high execution rate in Iran. Iran has the second-highest execution rate in the world after China. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the judiciary, recently emphasized in an interview with the Borna news agency that the high execution rate in Iran is due to the "relentless fight against drug trafficking." In this context, Amnesty International protested against the Iranian government's "misleading" propaganda regarding the execution of "25 Sunni men," while Human Rights Watch described the recent mass executions in Iran as "shameful." Molavi Abdulhamid criticized the recent executions in Iran, highlighting the "displeasure of senior officials" regarding the destruction of Sunni prayer houses.