Authorities in Iran have closed Sunni mosques and arrested its clerics in an apparent attempt to create religious tensions and justify further suppression of the Balochi community.

Below is a press release published by The Balochistan Peoples Party: 

On Thursday 08 of November 2007 an ethnic Sunni Baloch cleric Kuda Baxsh Eslaamdust […] from Balochistan was arrested by Etelahaat (intelligence services) and till now his whereabouts are unknown.

On the 27th of October 2007, people associated with the Revolutionary Guard attacked a Sunni Mosque in Zabol area of Balochistan, the Mosque is closed and its cleric Hafez Mohammad Ali Shahbkhsh has been arrested. 

On the 30th of October again a Sunni Mosque in Jawadiyee area of Bojnord was also destroyed by the security forces.

In Ahwaz, two Sunni religious activists, Shaikh Abdulhamid Doursari and Sheikh Farough were sentenced to eight years of prison. Sheikh Farogh is a teacher. 

We have received reports that four Sunni religious activists in Kurdistan have been arrested and their whereabouts are unknown.

Although the Sunni population of Iran including the Persian are under severe pressure from this regime, due to the leadership and other centers related to the Sunni population of Iran in Balochistan province the Balochs are constantly under pressure. 

We fear the Iranian Islamic regime is trying to create religious tensions to justify its increasing suppression against the Sunni Balochs and other oppressed nationalities and religious minorities in an effort to further destabilize the region.

The Balochistan Peoples Party condemns these oppressive policies and appeals to human rights organizations and the international community to pressurize the Iranian religious regime to stop harassing, intimidating, arresting and killing opposition activists.