Iranian Sunni cleric says executions may inflame regional tensions

Execution of Sunni prisoners in Iran

A leading Iranian Sunni Muslim said the execution of Sunni Islamists last week could inflame sectarian tensions in the Gulf region.
Iran executed more than 30 Sunni prisoners in groups and mass executions. There were no public trials and rights groups said the convictions may have been based on forced confessions.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Friday that 'overly broad and vague criminal charges' had led to 'a grave injustice'.
Molavi Abdolhamid, a leading Sunni cleric in Iran said the executions lacked 'forethought and tolerance' at a time when Iran and the whole region were suffering from extremism.
'Our main complaint is that the sensitive situation in our region has not been considered in these executions,' Abdolhamid, who is regarded as a spiritual leader for Iran's Sunni minority, said on his website.
Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Amnesty International says at least 977 people were put to death there in 2015, compared to 320 in Pakistan and at least 158 in Saudi Arabia.