Sunni Baluch cleric Molavi Yousef Gorgij was killed by unknown assailants outside his home in Zahedan, Iranian state media reported on Monday, the second killing of a Sunni cleric in Iran in less than a week.
State-run Mehr News described Gorgij as a pro-government Sunni cleric and blamed what it called “Zionist mercenaries” for the killing, without providing evidence or further details.
Zahedan Governor Rakhshani-Nasab said Gorgij had been active in opposing “divisive elements and Zionism”.
Some local Iranian outlets separately said the attack was attributed to Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Baluch militant group that has carried out attacks on Iranian security forces, though no claim of responsibility was immediately reported.
The IRGC Ground Forces’ Quds Base blamed what it called “terrorist groups” for the killing, saying the attack came after Revolutionary Guards forces had dismantled several “terrorist teams” in Sistan-Baluchestan.
The killing comes after a weekend of violence in Iran’s restive southeast. Heavy fighting between security forces and unidentified gunmen spread across parts of Saravan on Saturday, with attacks reported on military vehicles and dozens of security personnel killed or wounded, according to the Baluch rights group Haalvsh. The gunshots also continued on Sunday night.
It also follows the Sept. 9 killing of Sunni Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati in West Azerbaijan province. The Revolutionary Guards blamed what it called “Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups” for that attack and said Nezhati had a history of cooperation with Basij organizations.
The Revolutionary Guards blamed what it called “Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups” for that attack and said Nezhati had a history of cooperation with Basij organizations.
In July, Sunni Baluch Friday prayer leader Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi was also killed by unidentified gunmen in the southeastern border town of Mirjaveh.
Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian did not identify which institutions were using the schools or disclose how many educational facilities had yet to be returned to the Education Ministry.
“These educational spaces must be handed over to the Education Ministry before the start of the school year, and where there are challenges, the relevant institution should inform the province so alternative space can be provided and the issue resolved,” Motamedian said.
The Revolutionary Guards, Basij paramilitary force and police used schools to station personnel during and after the war.
Dozens of schools used during war
An Iran International investigation published in March found that security and military forces moved personnel, weapons and equipment into at least 70 civilian sites across 17 provinces during the US-Israeli strikes from March 2 to 14.
Nearly half of the locations – 34 – were primary or secondary schools. Other sites included hospitals, stadiums, universities, mosques, parks and government offices.
Footage from several cities showed security vehicles, personnel or military equipment on school grounds.
‘Schools offered greater security’
Journalist Ali Hossein Ghazizadeh said schools offered forces large courtyards, numerous rooms and locations among residential buildings at a time when military bases were being targeted.
“Being in schools provides greater security for them,” Ghazizadeh told.
Schools were particularly useful for relocating personnel after bases and other facilities were struck, and their location among civilian buildings provided additional protection, Ghazizadeh said.
The use of educational facilities did not necessarily end with the fighting, Ghazizadeh said, adding that Iran International had received information indicating that some institutions sought to retain schools for longer-term use.
Civilian protection concerns
Schools are generally protected as civilian objects under international humanitarian law but can lose that protection if their use makes them military objectives. Attacking forces remain bound by rules including distinction, proportionality and precautions to limit civilian harm.
Iranian officials have denied using civilians as shields and accused Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure during the conflict.
The Israeli military confirmed to Iran International in March that it had identified Iranian forces deploying personnel and weapons at civilian sites, including schools, mosques and stadiums.
“Despite all these surgeries, I am still confined to my home,” the protester, whose identity and place of residence are being withheld for security reasons, told Iran International. “I am married, and during this time we have faced many problems paying for my treatment.”
His family eventually sold their car to help cover his medical bills, the protester said. Doctors have told him that regaining the ability to walk could take at least another year.
The account reflects the prolonged physical and financial consequences facing some people wounded during the protests, with Iran International receiving multiple accounts of injured demonstrators struggling to obtain treatment and pay medical expenses months later.
23 operations and more treatment ahead
The gunshot caused extensive damage to the protester’s leg, requiring doctors to perform muscle and skin grafts during a series of operations.
“About a month has passed since the skin graft, and the Ilizarov device that was fitted to my leg at the beginning of treatment is due to be put back on for about three months,” the protester said.
An Ilizarov apparatus is an external bone-fixation system using metal rings, rods and wires to gradually reposition sections of bone. It can be used to treat severe damage or the loss of part of a bone.
Doctors also attached a vacuum-assisted device to the wound for several months to promote new tissue growth, the protester said.
Infection, nerve damage and numbness later forced doctors to remove some of the repaired tissue and perform a muscle graft about six months after the shooting, according to the protester.
“I asked people who were able to help, but in the end, with great difficulty and even by selling our car, we tried to cover the costs,” he said.
Security fears complicate hospital treatment
Fear of arrest or identification at hospitals has complicated treatment for some protesters wounded during demonstrations, prompting some to seek medical care covertly or at home.
“After one of the surgeries, because there were many security officers in the emergency department, the doctor helped me leave the hospital,” the protester said.
Hospital staff recorded the cause of his injuries as a traffic accident, and his doctor later helped take him to Tehran to continue undergoing surgery, the protester said.
“I really do not know how to thank the medical staff,” he added. “They cooperated extensively and tried to make sure nothing else happened to me.”
Protester recounts January 8 shooting
Security forces initially fired pellets toward demonstrators before a live round struck his leg at close range on the evening of January 8, the protester said.
“My whole body is covered with pellet marks. The bullet hit my leg from close range,” he said. “When I was shot, they dragged me along the ground while I was in a very bad condition. I will never forget that night.”
Security personnel insulted him and tried to remove his clothing after he was wounded, according to his account.
“I held tightly onto my trousers, and they struck my hands with their boots,” he said. “My entire body was bruised, and I even thought my ribs were broken.”
The officers then put him on a motorcycle, the protester said.
“One of them said, ‘Don’t hit him here, take him farther up,’” he said. “I thought they meant they were going to finish me off. I passed out from fear.”
The protester said he regained consciousness alone in a dark alley, where an elderly couple found him and helped him reach a hospital.
“At first, I thought I was dead,” he said. “Then an elderly woman and man found me. They were like angels to me and helped me get to the hospital.”
The protester said he had joined the demonstrations knowing that doing so could put his life at risk.
“That night, I went out like many others, and I knew I might lose my life, but for me it was about Iran,” he said.
Six months after the shooting, the protester remains unable to walk, with further procedures ahead and no certainty over when he will regain mobility.
