Two Sunni Imams: Instead of Extracting Confessions, Address the Cases of Assaults

Two Sunni clerics from Sistan and Baluchestan reacted during Friday prayers on July 22 to the broadcast of 'confessions' from several activists in the province regarding the issue of girls in Iranshahr. Following the announcement of sexual assaults on several girls in Iranshahr, the Revolutionary Guards arrested several online activists and aired a video of their 'confessions.' Some of these activists participated in gatherings supporting the abused women of Iranshahr or posted photos and videos protesting the handling of this case on their Instagram pages. In response to these events, Molavi Abdolghafar Naqshbandi, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Rask County, and Molavi Fazlollah Kouhi demanded that instead of arresting young protesters regarding the 'perpetrators' case, the authorities should address the issue of the assaults. The two Sunni clerics described these confessions as 'merely intended to instill fear in the hearts of the rest of the people.' Molavi Tayeb Malazahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Iranshahr, reported on June 25 during Eid al-Fitr prayers about 'the assault on 41 girls' in this county and the arrest of one of the suspects, whom he described as a 'wealthy and rich' person and 'a thug.' However, some officials of the Islamic Republic provided lower statistics regarding the number of assaults, and the Attorney General labeled the figure of '41 girls' as 'baseless' and 'false,' threatening that the Friday prayer leader of Iranshahr would face legal action. Following these announcements, a number of Iranshahr residents gathered in front of the governor's office, demanding punishment for the perpetrators of the assaults on girls in the region. So far, two suspects related to these assaults have been arrested. Subsequently, on July 19, the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards released a video of the 'confessions' of seven Baluch citizens, in which these individuals confessed to being 'deceived and connected with foreign media.' The released video identifies the detainees as Abdollah B., Yaser Sh., Parisa Sh., Abdolhakim M., Mohammad R., Mohammad Amin G., and Morteza S. On the same day the video was released, an unnamed Baluch activist told the Iran Human Rights Campaign that three of the detainees are students who participated in gatherings supporting the abused women of Iranshahr or posted photos and videos of the protests on their Instagram pages. One of those who confessed against himself in this video is 30-year-old Abdollah Bozorgzadeh, who was arrested on June 27 after a gathering in support of the girls of Iranshahr, and there has been no news about him since. Abdollah Bozorgzadeh's father, after failing to meet him, staged a sit-in in front of the Revolutionary Guards building in Iranshahr, demanding either the release or a meeting with his son. Some reports now indicate his arrest as well. In this context, Molavi Fazl-ur-Rahman Kouhi, the Friday prayer leader of Peshmarg Sarbaz, said in this week's Friday prayers: 'This week they broadcast Abdollah Bozorgzadeh's confessions; I do not know him, but I was truly saddened that such confessions were obtained to keep the issue of the criminals in Iranshahr hidden! We are truly sorry that individuals were arrested for gathering in Iranshahr to support the assaulted girls and that confessions were broadcast.' Molavi Kouhi commented on the Revolutionary Guards' goal for broadcasting the confessions, stating: 'They did this to scare the people so that no one would gather and to show their power.' The Friday prayer leader of Peshmarg concluded: 'Today, the confessions of those who assaulted women should have been broadcast to serve as a lesson for others, not the confessions of those who gathered to defend the honor of the girls. Is this your fairness and justice?' Molavi Naqshbandi, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Rask, also added in his recent Friday prayer sermon: 'Not only in my opinion but also according to the law of the judiciary, a confession made in detention has no legitimacy in law; a confession must be made before a ruler, judge, and in a court of justice, and these confessions that were broadcast have no legitimacy for us.' He referred to his summons by the Revolutionary Guards, adding: 'When I was summoned this week, I told the dear ones in their presence not to talk to me about the confessions; I am a snake-bitten person, and what confessions did you extract from me and broadcast on television? What did I say, and you condemned my father as an accomplice with Israel, Wahhabis, and Arab countries, saying that he brought 700 million to assassinate martyr Mowlavi Jangi-Zahi, while I swear to God that these news had no validity whatsoever, but were broadcast in my name.'