Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iranwire – Iranian authorities apprehended Molavi Fazl al-Rahman Kohi, a Sunni cleric in the city of Sarzab, Sistan and Baluchistan province, on Sunday, 22 October.
The day before Kohi had drawn a parallel between the situation in Zahedan and the Gaza Strip – asserting that the military assault on worshippers in Zahedan “is no less severe than Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people.”
According to a report from Haalvsh human rights organization, Kohi was taken to an undisclosed location by security forces following his arrest.
In December 2019, Kohi had been detained after receiving a summons to appear before the Special Clergy Court in Mashhad.
He was subsequently sentenced to six years and four months in prison by the Special Clergy Court of Mashhad. He was conditionally released early just last month.
In response to the crackdown on the residents of Zahedan on October 20, Kohi remarked, “If anyone witnessed the confrontation between the security forces of Zahedan and the worshippers of Makkah Mosque returning from their prayers yesterday, they would forget Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
This former political prisoner directed a question to the officials of the Iranian government, asking, “Did the revolution begin 44 years ago just to target Sunni Muslims? Are the massacres in Gaza and Palestine intended to divert the public’s attention from the domestic situation?”
On Friday, October 20, forces of the Islamic Republic had launched an attack on worshippers in Zahedan, leading to the arrests of hundreds of individuals as well as physical violence.
