Mullah ‘Fathi Muhammad Naqshbandi’ Sentenced to 5 Years Imprisonment

Mullah ‘Fathi Muhammad Naqshbandi,’ Friday prayer imam of Rask, has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment by the judicial system.

Mullah Fathi Naqshbandi, a Sunni cleric, was arrested on August 20, 2023 by security forces on the Rask-Chabahar route due to criticism of the ruling system. He was subsequently transferred to Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad following interrogation.

The Sistan and Baluchestan Judiciary charged him with “false speeches, slander and defamation against the Islamic Republic” and “action against national security” in his Friday prayer sermons. People protested his arrest and imprisonment by holding demonstrations in the cities of Zahedan, Sarbaaz, Rask, and Dashtiari, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic.

According to human rights organization reports, on Monday, November 25 (5 Azar), Mullah Fathi Naqshbandi, Friday prayer imam of Rask and one of the Sunni scholars, was sentenced to 5 years of discretionary imprisonment by the Special Court for Clergy in Mashhad. The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court and formally served upon him.

It is worth noting that the aged Naqshbandi cleric, despite his advanced age and illness, has been imprisoned in Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad for the past year.

Since the outbreak of nationwide protests and the killing of over 100 Zahedan citizens on Bloody Friday, the Islamic Republic government has significantly intensified its pressure on Sistan citizens, and these pressures continue unabated. Mullah ‘Abdul Hamid Ismail Zahi’ has repeatedly warned about these pressures and, referring to the fact that the effects of discrimination between people are lasting and dangerous, stated: “Sunni people should have freedom and feel secure in performing their religious practices, including holding congregational prayers.”