Iranian Forces Target Sunni Mosque

Iranian security forces attacked people in the Sunni-majority city of Zahedan in the southeast, and arrested many who wanted to hold rallies after Friday prayers.

Since Friday morning, security was tense around the Makki Jameh Mosque of Zahedan, where outspoken Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid weekly delivers fiery sermons criticizing the Islamic Republic and its policies. 

The people of the Sistan-Baluchestan, with Zahedan as provincial capital, have been holding weekly protests after security forces opened fire at peaceful protesters, killing nearly 100 on September 30, 2022, a day known as the Bloody Friday of Zahedan.

Abdolhamid has repeatedly called for an end to repression in the past one year and respect for civic and human rights in Iran.