I am Enam Dehvari, seeking justice for my father, Ali, and my brother, Emran—victims of the chain murders committed by the Islamic Republic in Iran.
My father, Sheikh Ali Dehvari (1959–2008), was a prominent and reformist Sunni cleric, the Imam of Friday Prayers at Siddiq Akbar Mosque in Saravan, and the founder of Dar al-Hadith Imam Bukhari School. He was a vocal critic of the regime’s discriminatory policies against Sunnis. He preached about the rights of the Baloch people, religious freedom, and equality between Sunnis and Shias in his sermons. He repeatedly participated in televised debates with Shia clerics and opposed the distortion of Sunni beliefs in state-controlled media.
By establishing a network of independent religious schools, he resisted government influence over Sunni religious education—actions that brought him under the scrutiny of security agencies.
For over 20 years, my father was a religious, social, and cultural leader in Balochistan, widely recognized for his influence. After years of threats, interrogations, and surveillance, on November 10, 2008, while visiting a mosque, he was assassinated by two masked gunmen on motorcycles. He was shot multiple times at close range, with bullets striking his face, neck, and chest. He was killed instantly.
My brother, Dr. Emran Dehvari (1989–2016), was a physician, former religious preacher, and social activist. In addition to his medical work in impoverished areas, he taught at Dar al-Hadith Imam Bukhari School and maintained strong connections with Sunni youth and university students. His intellectual and social independence made him a threat to the Islamic Republic’s suppression policies. After years of being repeatedly summoned and threatened by the Ministry of Intelligence in Zahedan and Saravan, on November 20, 2016, he mysteriously died in his home. The following day, his wife found him lifeless, with white foam coming from his mouth and nose—a strong indication of poisoning.
The forensic medical office refused to release the autopsy report, stating that Tehran ordered them not to disclose the results.
I, Enam Dehvari, am seeking justice and truth for the extrajudicial killings of my father and brother. They were victims of the regime’s systematic repression of religious minorities, its efforts to control Sunni religious institutions, and its elimination of influential Baloch figures. My father and brother were not just members of my family; they were pillars of Baloch society, targeted and silenced for their advocacy of freedom of speech, justice, and the identity of Sunnis in Iran.
