Sunni Leader Rebukes Islamic Republic For Execution Of Baluchs
Iran’s most senior Sunni cleric has slammed the new wave of executions of Baluch minorities, with more than 110 people executed during the past four months.
Iran’s most senior Sunni cleric has slammed the new wave of executions of Baluch minorities, with more than 110 people executed during the past four months.
During his Friday prayer sermon, MowlaviAbdolhamid spoke of the growing number executions of the oppressed community, based on allegations of drug charges.The outspoken cleric blamed the regime for sham trials, claiming the charges are simply a pretext to avenge widespread protests in the Sistan-Baluchestan province, home to the majority of the Baluch population.
While Abdolhamid acknowledged the negative impacts of drugs, he said those affected are often forced into using or selling drugs due to the dire economic situation in the poverty-stricken province, Iran's poorest.
"In Sistan and Baluchistan, there is no water for agriculture, the weather is hot and there are no jobs," he said. Slamming the government's lack of support for the province, which has a population of around 4 million, including 700,000 Afghan nationals, he said: "Has the government created factories and workshops for the people? Have you used the capacities of mines and beaches? In which sector did you create a job that you are now executing people?... If you created jobs for people, many people would not go for it,” he said.
Abdolhamid pointed out that a large number of those executed on drug-related charges are for sales amounting to as little as $15 to $20.
Given the region's high rate of unemployment and lack of proper infrastructure, smuggling fuel, goods and in some cases, drugs are their only lifeline.
Sullivan, speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi leaders. A source told Reuters Sullivan is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Sullivan repeated the administration’s position that the United States will "take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon," but still seeks a diplomatic outcome to the challenge posed by Tehran.
“But we have made clear to Iran that it can never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. As President Biden has repeatedly reaffirmed, he will take the actions that are necessary to stand by this statement, including by recognizing Israel’s freedom of action,” Sullivan told the gathering of Middle East experts at the institute.
Sullivan mentioned that a new nuclear deal with Iran should see all the enriched uranium “whether it’s five bombs or whatever it may be of 60 percent—that that also goes by the board.”
However, the question of how to deter Iran from destabilizing the region remained largely unclear, except fostering integration between allies and pursuing reduction of tensions, alluding to the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to restore diplomatic relations.
However, after the Chinese-brokered deal in March, Iran openly called for attacks against Israel by its Palestinian and other groups largely dependent on Tehran’s support. A series of terror attacks inside of Israel led to a military flare-up and days of rocket attacks by Palestinians from Gaza and Lebanon.
Iran, calling these attacks a great achievement, has been urging more strikes by its proxy forces.
In recent days the Revolutionary Guard has also seized two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf waters, while the US maintains a strong naval presence in the area.
Speaking about the administration’s policy in the region, Sullivan highlighted the strategy of an “interconnected Middle East” empowering US allies and partners, which would reduce “the resource demands on the United States”.
“So we’re actively building an integrated air and maritime defense architecture in the region. This is something that’s been talked about for a long time, but it’s now happening through innovative partnerships and through technology,” he said.
Robert Satloff, the executive director of the Washington Institute asked Sullivan about how the United States can deter Iran from further expanding its nuclear program, as administration officials have admitted that Iran can be a few weeks from having enough enriched uranium to build a bomb.
Sullivan responded by highlighting military cooperation with “our partners—including working very closely with Israel,” and holding joint military drills, and recognizing Israel’s right to act.
He added that “we are going to continue to take action to, yes, deter Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and then to seek a diplomatic solution that puts this on a long-term pathway of stability.”
“At the moment the Iranian nation has no other way than a referendum to establish a secular republic,” Sotoudeh said in a message read at the recent congress of Amnesty International’s Norway chapter on April 29.
This could prevent religious governments to dictate their own rules regarding women’s bodies, she said in her message a copy of which was exclusively provided to Radio Farda.
Sotoudeh stressed that the recent protest movement in Iran is focused on the issue of compulsory hijab and women’s right over their own bodies and their movement wants “to go back to the year 1979 when the Islamist government ordered women to wear hijab to work or face expulsion.”
Sotoudeh is currently on medical furlough from prison in Tehran where she is serving a long sentence for her human rights advocacy.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a speech at a meeting with students on April 18 strongly objected to suggestions to allow people decide about crucial matters through a referendum.
“[Who says] the country’s various issues can be put to referendum? Where in the world do they do that? [Who says] all the people participating in a referendum have the faculty of analyzing that matter? What kind of demand is that?” he said.
Former President Hassan Rouhani and others, mainly reformist politicians, have repeatedly suggested holding referendums on “important issues” in domestic and foreign policy.
At a meeting with the senior officials of his government, former lawmakers, journalists and politicians on April 5, Rouhani reiterated that the answer to people’s demands in the areas of foreign and domestic policies and the economy could be found by holding referendums as envisaged by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic.
In February, former Prime Minister (1981-1989) and leader of the 2009 Green Movement Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who was a reformist presidential candidate in 2009 and has been under house arrest since 2011, said in a statement dubbed “To Save Iran” that there was no hope of reforms and demanded a free and untainted referendum about the necessity for a new constitution.
Such a referendum could potentially put an end to Velayat-e Faghih (rule of the Islamic jurist) which gives a cleric such as Ali Khamenei extraordinary powers including the power to overrule all elected bodies and officials and hence, people’s choice.
If the necessity of change is approved by the first referendum, Mousavi said, a constitutional assembly should be elected by the people followed by a second referendum to approve the draft constitution to establish a regime based on rule of law.
Article 59 of the current constitution, which was approved by a referendum after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, stipulates that in extremely important economic, political, social, and cultural matters, the functions of the legislature may be exercised through direct recourse to popular vote by holding a national referendum.
Any request for such direct recourse to public opinion must be approved by two-thirds of the members of parliament according the Constitution. This condition practically obstructs any chances of a referendum as the parliament is dominated by hardliners and Khamenei loyalists.
Sotoudeh who has been called “Iran’s Nelson Mandela” will receive the 2023 Brown Democracy Medal from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers reported Monday. She will not be able to travel to receive her medal in person as she is serving a term and is only out on medical furlough.
