Iran arrests Kurdish clerics calling for ‘unconditional’ release of protesters
Security forces have arrested at least four Kurdish clerics since yesterday in Piranshahr and its suburbs, in north-western Iran, over a statement they issued, calling for the “unconditional” release of the civilians detained during the recent anti-government protests.
The detained clerics are Molla Sharif Mahmudpour, Molla Seyyed Jamaladdin Vazhi, Molla Younes Nowkhah and Molla Seyyed Soleiman Ahmadi.
They were taken to an undisclosed location after being arrested, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
Yesterday, the religious scholars issued a statement saying that the judiciary statements accusing the protesters of “enmity against God” (mohareb) and “armed insurrection” (baghi) had no legal basis and were also not justified according to Islamic law.
They called for the “unconditional” release of all detainees and asked authorities to “apologize to them and their families and compensate them for their losses”.
On 23 January, security forces arrested Vazhi and Mahmudpour, the imam of the Rasoul Allah Mosque in Piranshahr, after a video in which the statement was read was published.
Nowkhah and Ahmadi who teach at the Salahuddin Ayubi School of Religious Studies in Piranshahr were arrested by security forces today.
So far, there is no information about the fate of these four Kurdish clerics since their arrest.
