Shaykh Fathi Mohammad Naghshbandi Released from Prison

HRANA News Agency – A Sunni scholar imprisoned in Iran since 2012 has today been released on bail.

According to the report of Campaign of Baluch Activists, Shaykh Fathi Mohammad Naghshbandi was released earlier after being transferred from Zahedan Central prison to the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Rask.

He addressed his supporters in a short speech at the Jame Ghasemi Mosque in Rask shortly after his release.

The Supreme Court had in January revoked the sentences issued against the cleric and five other Sunni prisoners, after admitting that there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to uphold their convictions.

Despite this, Shaykh Naghshbandi was not released until earlier today.

The other prisoners involved in his case, including his son Shaykh Abdol Ghaffar Naghshbandi, were transferred from Zahedan Central Prison to the Ministry of Intelligence 17 days ago. There is no news about their condition.

Shaykh Fathi Mohammad Naghsbandi, a prominent Sunni scholar and Imam of Friday prayers in the city of Rask, was among 11 people arrested in 2012 following the death of pro-government cleric Mustafa Jang Zehi who was killed by unknown men in the Sistan-Baluchestan province.

The Sunni prisoners, who had been subjected to torture whilst in detention and forced to make filmed false ‘confessions’, had repeatedly maintained their innocence.

The family of the deceased had themselves insisted that they believed the Sunni activists were innocent, and had written notarized letters to the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan, the Prosecutors Office, and the Supreme Court calling for their release.

Despite this, the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan sentenced Shaykh Fathi Mohammad Naghshbandi to 15 years imprisonment and exile to Khalkhal.

His son, Shaykh Abdol Ghaffar Naghshbandi, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment and exile to Ardabil.

Four Sunni activists linked to the clerics, Malik Mohammad Abadian, Javad Abadian, Jaber Abadian and Nezamoddin Mollazadeh, were sentenced to death.

The Supreme Court finally overturned the sentences of the six men in January earlier this year on grounds of ‘insufficient evidence’, but has so far only released Shaykh Naghshbandi.

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