Iran's Sunni Leader Raises Concern Over Prisoners Deaths

Mowlavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, has expressed deep concern over the recent deaths of prisoners, including that of Javad Rouhi.

Speaking on Wednesday, Abdolhamid stated, "The sudden deaths of certain detainees, both during their incarceration and after their release, have left a profoundly negative impression on the international stage, exacerbating pessimism."

Rouhi, a prominent figure in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, is the latest activist to have passed away in prison last week, purportedly due to a "seizure," as claimed by Iranian judicial authorities, his death echoing the tragic circumstances which led to the death of Iranian-Kurd, Mahsa Amini, in morality police custody. Her death subsequently triggered a year of uprising against the regime.

Rouhi had become one of the most prominent faces of the recent Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and had been held at the northern Nowshahr prison and initially sentenced to death, a sentence later overturned by the Supreme Court, pending re-sentencing.

Amnesty International previously documented extensive instances of severe physical and psychological abuse during the young man's detention. His death has sparked outrage among Iranians demanding action, while international human rights organizations are urging a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Calls for a United Nations investigation and international accountability measures against the Islamic Republic regime are growing louder among human rights organizations, while activists are rallying for a declaration of public mourning and nationwide protests in Rouhi's memory.