TEHRAN – A number of Iranian MPs issued a statement on Tuesday urging release of Nigerian Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.

The statement was signed by 198 lawmakers.

Zakzaky is the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and has been detained since December 2015 in a raid on his residence in which he lost his left eyesight.

The raid by security forces that left more than 300 of his followers and three of his sons dead. His wife also sustained serious wounds.

In 2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), based in London, said earlier in July that the cleric’s health condition had further deteriorated, since he was reportedly poisoned in prison.

The cleric’s son, Mohammad, told Press TV on July 6 that his father was in dire need of medical treatment, as “large and dangerous quantities of lead and cadmium have been found in his blood.” He said that the authorities intended to murder his father since they refuse to take any measures.

NA/PA