Kurdistan/Iran; prominent Kurdish Mamosta and Friday prayers Imam Summoned to Special Clergy Court and subsequently detained

On Thursday, April 23, 2025, Mamosta Ayat Gholami, a Sunni cleric and former imam of the "Mohammad Al-Mustafa" Mosque in Kirmashan (Kermanshah), as well as an instructor at a religious science school, was arrested following his summons and appearance at the Special Clergy Court in Kirmashan (Kermanshah).

On Wednesday, July 9, 2024, Mamosta Ayat had previously been barred from his position as imam and instructor at the mosque by the directives of the clergy security apparatus after being summoned to the Security Directorate of the Kirmashan (Kermanshah) Clergy Center.

This Sunni cleric had repeatedly been summoned by Iranian security agencies due to his refusal to endorse government elections, his signing of a statement condemning the execution of Mamosta Mohammad Khedernejad, the detention of other clerics and the prohibition of their activities, protesting against the killings of Kurdish Kolbars and porters as well as his criticisms of government officials and organizing Sunni religious ceremonies.