Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the Friday prayer leader of Rask in Iran and head of a religious seminary – one of the country’s prominent Sunni scholars – was released on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) from Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison after serving two years and two months behind bars.
Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi had been arrested by security forces on Sunday (August 20, 2023) while traveling from Rask to Chabahar.
The Rask Friday prayer leader had been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by Mashhad’s Special Clerical Court.
Ali Mozaffari, Deputy Head of the Judiciary for Judicial Affairs, announced on Sunday (November 9, 2025) that more than 160 prisoners facing security-related charges had received pardons or sentence reductions. It is believed that Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi’s release was carried out under this judicial initiative.