Two years on, Sunni cleric slams Khamenei over 'Bloody Friday' massacre

Two years after state forces killed almost 100 protesters in southeastern Iran—infamously known as Bloody Friday—a top Sunni cleric has called out Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for his failure to uphold a promised investigation.

Speaking at Friday prayers in Sistan-Baluchestan, Molavi Abdolhamid denounced the state’s actions as a great tragedy and an injustice rarely seen in the world, renewing his demand for accountability and the punishment of the commanders responsible for the massacre.

Videos posted on social media show that on the eve of the second anniversary of the clampdown, a number of citizens in the capital of Zahedan chanted slogans such as "We swear by the blood of our comrades, we will stand till the end" and "Political prisoners must be released."

Military and security forces were visibly present around the Makki Mosque – one of Iran's largest Sunni mosques. Reports from citizens highlighted a heightened security atmosphere in the city ahead of the anniversary. According to the Hal-Vash news website, military personnel and plainclothes officers set up tents along main streets and roads leading to the mosque, where they conducted searches of worshippers.

On September 30, 2022, amid nationwide protests sparked by the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini, Iranian security forces killed at least 66 people, including children, and injured many more in an assault that marked “Bloody Friday" as a day of unprecedented violence. The reported rape of a 15-year-old girl by a police commander further fueled outrage and intensified the protests.

Multiple human rights groups, along with evidence from activists, victims’ families, eyewitnesses, and extensive documentation, indicate that the actual death toll in Zahedan is likely even higher.

Following the state’s onslaught after that day’s Friday prayers, another 16 people were killed in separate incidents across the city of Zahedan, as the state continued its suppression of dissent. Despite pressure on dissidents, protests continued for months.

Some of the worshippers at this Friday’s prayers at the Mosque held up banners and placards protesting the deadly attack. One of these placards read, "The crime of Bloody Friday will not be forgotten."

Molavi Abdolhamid, the cleric who has sometimes been dubbed ‘Iran’s Sunni dissident,’ became a voice of advocacy for the Sunni minority and broader societal concerns amid nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic.

Although he has called for an end to theocratic rule in Iran, he has also emphasized his stance against using violence to achieve that goal, advocating instead for peaceful reform and dialogue.

Recounting the events of “Bloody Friday,” Molavi Abdolhamid said that if Sunnis were present in institutions such as the Provincial Security Council and the National Security Council, similar incidents would not occur.

Since Masoud Pezeshkian became the President of the 14th Government of the Islamic Republic, Molavi Abdolhamid has repeatedly urged him to employ qualified women, ethnic groups, and religious minorities in the government.