There are few public figures in Iran who have the temerity to challenge the authorities in Tehran, but Molavi Abdol Hamid is among them.
Zahedan was the site of the bloodiest crackdown by Iranian security forces since nationwide demonstrations began in mid-September. On Sept. 30, after Molavi Abdol Hamid delivered his sermon, protesters poured into the streets chanting “Death to the dictator,” a rallying cry that had begun to echo across the nation since the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, in the custody of Iran’s “morality police.
But rather than back down, the cleric immediately demanded that security forces responsible for the killings be brought to justice and that authorities heed protesters’ calls for change. Last month, Molavi Abdol Hamid called for a referendum to meet protesters’ demands, a suggestion that would be unthinkable from any other public figure.“He has a stature that makes him almost untouchable for the regime,” said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford University.
Among the leaked items was a confidential message from Khamenei to the country’s security forces advising that Molavi Abdol Hamid “should not be arrested. But he should be dishonored.”The Washington Post could not independently confirm the veracity of the message, but experts say it is consistent with past efforts by the government to undermine reformist figures.
Protesters were injured in Zahedan, Iran, on Nov. 25, eight weeks after more than 90 people were killed by security forces in the city, according to activists.
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