Iran to do utmost to restore rights of Mina crush victims in Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia: Ohadi

Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi

An Iranian official says the country will spare no effort to restore the rights of the victims of a deadly crush during last year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi said on Saturday that a session was held on Wednesday, which was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi and a number of other officials, to study the legal and judicial aspects of the crush, which took place during the Hajj rituals in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, on September 24, 2015.

He added that Iran’s Foreign Ministry is in charge of pursuing the legal aspects of the Mina tragedy or any other incidents involving Iranian nationals abroad.

He noted that the Iranian deputy foreign minister gave a comprehensive report during the session on the Hajj crush.

Ohadi said that it was agreed during the session that the families of the Mina victims will give their complaint papers to the Foreign Ministry and the office of the Prosecutor General within a week so that they “would use various domestic and international tools to restore the rights of the families of the Mina tragedy martyrs and carry out necessary follow-up measures.”

“After receiving the complaints, the Foreign Ministry and the office of the Prosecutor General will hold a session within the next 10 days to examine the legal aspects in a better way,” Ohadi said.

More than 2,400 people, including at least 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives in a stampede in Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2015.

A Muslim pilgrim walks through dead bodies at the site of a crush in Mina, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, September 24, 2015.©AP

The tragic incident took place when two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat.

Saudi Arabia claims that nearly 770 people were killed in the incident.

Iran has cancelled the participation of its pilgrims in this year’s Hajj rituals in September due to Saudi Arabia’s creation of obstacles in the way of Iranians seeking to perform the ritual.