The spiritual head of a Shia mosque was shot dead in the city of Sahedan. The city had recently become a hotbed of anti-government protests.
A top Islamic dignitary was killed at one of the hotspots of anti-government protests in Iran. In the city of Sahedan, the spiritual head of a Shia mosque was shot dead, the IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. “A special unit has been created to identify and arrest the criminals,” said Sistan-Balukhstan provincial police commander Ahmad Taheri.
One of the most serious clashes between security forces and protesters in recent weeks took place in Sahedan. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, security forces killed at least 66 people on 30 September. The Sahedan is dominated by Sunnis, but in Iran the Shias make up the overwhelming majority of the population. A high-ranking Sunni cleric criticized the crackdown on protesters, saying state officials and Iran’s spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have to answer to God for it.
Mass protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini have been raging in Iran for more than six weeks. The Kurd died in police custody on 16 September. The so-called deputy police arrested her because she was said to be dressed inappropriately. Since then, the protests have become the biggest challenge to spiritual leadership since 1979. At that time, the Shah was overthrown in the course of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic was proclaimed.