Sheikh Zakzaky Visits Qom, Set to Meet Scholars
The top cleric is also set to hold meetings with top religious’ authorities in the central Iranian cities during his stay.
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran on October 11, 2023, for medical treatment.
Who is Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky?
In December 2015, Nigeria’s military launched a crackdown as part of a deadly state-ordered escalation targeting the movement that Abuja has branded as illegal.
The campaign saw the troops attacking Zakzaky’s residence in the town of Zaria in Kaduna, afflicting him and his wife with serious injuries that reportedly caused the cleric to lose his left eye.
During the crackdown, the military also attacked the movement’s members as they were holding religious processions, with the government alleging that the Muslims had blocked a convoy of the country’s defense minister.
The movement has categorically rejected the allegation and said the convoy had intentionally crossed paths with the IMN’s members to whip up an excuse to attack them.
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The violence led to the death of three of Zakzaky’s sons and more than 300 of his followers.
The couple were kept in custody for years despite a 2016 ruling by Nigeria’s federal high court that ordered their release from prison.
Amid the long-drawn-out jail term, the couple were allowed to leave for India for medical purposes. Their stay was, however, reportedly plagued by the state’s interference aimed at preventing them from receiving proper medical treatment.
The couple’s freedom came in July 2021 following tireless activism on the part of Nigeria’s Shia faithful and repeated reports about their situation by international human rights bodies.
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