Mowlavi Abdolhamid: These Executions are 'Painful'

In light of widespread criticism against the execution of three defendants in the 'Isfahan House' case, Mowlavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, described these executions as 'painful.' In his sermon on Friday, May 18, he referred to a letter from the defendants from prison regarding their forced confessions, stating: 'Confessions obtained under torture have no legal or religious standing.' The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan addressed the officials of the Islamic Republic, saying: 'All the people of Iran and the world have asked you not to execute these defendants.' Mowlavi Abdolhamid further called for a halt to executions in Iran, emphasizing: 'Rest assured that executions will not stop this nation or convince them.' Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi Sheikhshabani, and Saeed Yaghoubi Kordsefi, the defendants in the 'Isfahan House' case, were executed despite requests from human rights organizations and activists. These three defendants, accused of killing two Basij members and a police officer during nationwide protests, claimed that their confessions were coerced and obtained under severe torture. In another part of his sermon, Mowlavi Abdolhamid criticized discrimination, pointing out the prohibition of women and Sunnis from running for the presidential election, calling it an 'innovation' in the constitution. He addressed the rulers of the Islamic Republic, saying: 'You have not treated different religions equally.' Similar to previous weeks, a number of participants in the Friday prayer on May 18 in Zahedan marched through the streets after the prayer, chanting: 'My dear brother, I will take your blood back.'