Important: Click here to read this clarification about some of our previous statements regarding 'Moharabeh'.
This is our Sunni brother Voria Ghaderifard - awaiting execution in Iran.
He is only 22 years old. Voria was arrested on the 10th of June, 2010, at the age of 19.
Originally from the town of Sanandaj, his story is similar to that of many Sunni political prisoners in Iran. They were students of knowledge and preachers, calling their communities to follow Sunni Islam.
There is a widespread culture of discrimination against Sunnis and ethnic minorities in Iran. The publication of Sunni materials is restricted and Sunni beliefs are banned from being taught at public schools, even in Sunni-majority areas. Those who openly preach Sunni beliefs risk persecution, arrest and even execution.
There are numerous documented cases of Sunni Muslims being arrested purely due to spreading Sunni teachings. For example, in 2011, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said "there were reports that 19 Sunni clerics had been arrested for spreading Sunni teachings in several parts of the country, including Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Baluchistan, West Azerbaijan, Ahvaz, Tavalesh, and Khorassan provinces. Their whereabouts are unknown."
Sunni political prisoners are often brutally tortured, with many forced to confess to false charges. Common methods of torture include electrocution, being repeatedly struck with cables, and severe beatings. Some prisoners had their nails pulled out, whilst others were tied to beds and made to endure various forms of torture - all in an attempt by interrogators to make the prisoners 'confess'.
Voria is detained in Rajai Shahr prison, Karaj. There are at least 130 Sunni political prisoners there - scholars, teachers, and students of knowledge - with nearly 30 of them sentenced to death.
In recent weeks, many of those facing execution have been transferred to different prisons, where news of their condition is not readily available.
There are fears the Iranian regime is attempting to isolate the men, in order to carry out secret executions.
This is our Sunni brother Voria Ghaderifard - awaiting execution in Iran.
He is only 22 years old. Voria was arrested on the 10th of June, 2010, at the age of 19.
Originally from the town of Sanandaj, his story is similar to that of many Sunni political prisoners in Iran. They were students of knowledge and preachers, calling their communities to follow Sunni Islam.
There is a widespread culture of discrimination against Sunnis and ethnic minorities in Iran. The publication of Sunni materials is restricted and Sunni beliefs are banned from being taught at public schools, even in Sunni-majority areas. Those who openly preach Sunni beliefs risk persecution, arrest and even execution.
There are numerous documented cases of Sunni Muslims being arrested purely due to spreading Sunni teachings. For example, in 2011, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said "there were reports that 19 Sunni clerics had been arrested for spreading Sunni teachings in several parts of the country, including Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Baluchistan, West Azerbaijan, Ahvaz, Tavalesh, and Khorassan provinces. Their whereabouts are unknown."
Sunni political prisoners are often brutally tortured, with many forced to confess to false charges. Common methods of torture include electrocution, being repeatedly struck with cables, and severe beatings. Some prisoners had their nails pulled out, whilst others were tied to beds and made to endure various forms of torture - all in an attempt by interrogators to make the prisoners 'confess'.
Voria is detained in Rajai Shahr prison, Karaj. There are at least 130 Sunni political prisoners there - scholars, teachers, and students of knowledge - with nearly 30 of them sentenced to death.
In recent weeks, many of those facing execution have been transferred to different prisons, where news of their condition is not readily available.
There are fears the Iranian regime is attempting to isolate the men, in order to carry out secret executions.