Iran’s top Sunni cleric calls protester killings “organised massacre”

Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran’s top Sunni cleric, described the killings of protesters in Iran as an “organised massacre.”

Writing on X, Abdolhamid emphasised that, despite severe internet restrictions, media outlets were gradually publishing footage of harrowing and brutal killings of protesters across various provinces, indicating an organised massacre, the details of which were gradually emerging, Caliber.Az reports.

با وجود محدودیت شدید اینترنت، صحنه‌هایی از کشتار دلخراش و بی‌رحمانۀ معترضان در استان‌های مختلف به‌تدریج توسط رسانه‌ها منتشر می‌شود؛ امری که از یک قتل‌عام سازمان‌یافته حکایت دارد و زوایای بیشتری از آن به تدریج برملا می‌شود. این فاجعه شکافی عمیق و جبران‌ناپذیر میان مردم ایران و…

— شیخ الاسلام مولانا عبدالحمید (@AbdolhamidNet) January 25, 2026

“This catastrophe has caused a deep and irreparable divide between the people of Iran and the government,” he added.

Mass protests broke out across Iran in late December 2025, initially sparked by worsening economic conditions, including soaring inflation, a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial, and rising costs of food and essential goods. The unrest began with shop closures and strikes in Tehran’s commercial hubs and quickly spread to cities nationwide.

While economic grievances sparked the demonstrations, they soon took on a political dimension, with some protesters chanting anti-regime slogans and calling for fundamental changes in the country’s governance.

Authorities responded with a severe crackdown, deploying security forces, making mass arbitrary arrests, and imposing restrictions on communications. Human rights organisations reported lethal dispersals by police and the Revolutionary Guard in multiple cities.

The protests have become the deadliest in Iran since the 1979 revolution, with thousands of deaths reported by both official and independent sources, widespread arrests, and mounting international concern over human rights violations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada