Iran’s Judiciary Issues 69 Years in Prison for 25 Dervishes
A news site covering Gonabadi Dervishes reports that Iran’s judiciary has issued a combined sentence of 69 years in prison for 25 dervishes.
The Majzoban Noor website, which publishes news about dervishes, reported on Sunday, Ordibehesht 3rd, that these sentences were issued for dervishes arrested during clashes on Golestan Haftom Street in Pasdaran, Tehran, last month.
Gonabadi Dervishes gathered on Esfand 14th in front of the Pasdaran police station in protest of the arrest of an elderly dervish, which turned violent after police intervention. In this clash, several police officers were killed and hundreds of Gonabadi dervishes were arrested. The Islamic Republic of Iran accused one of the dervishes, “Mohammad Salsas,” of attacking police with a bus and executed him in late Khordad. His lawyer claimed that Salsas had been forced to confess under torture.
The announcement of Mohammad Salsas’s execution prompted widespread reactions from human rights organizations, political figures, civil activists, and social media users.
The U.S. Secretary of State called Mohammad Salsas’s execution “ruthless and unjust” and called on American allies to condemn the Iranian government’s action.
Majzoban Noor reported on Sunday about the sentences for these 25 dervishes: These dervishes were severely beaten and arrested during the Golestan Haftom incident, and during interrogation and trial proceedings, they have been deprived of all legal rights and access to lawyers and fair due process.
Just two weeks ago, Majzoban Noor reported that following continued pressure on imprisoned dervishes and their deprivation of basic and legal rights, eight dervishes at Evin Prison (Greater Tehran Penitentiary) began a hunger strike.
In recent months, concerning news has been published about violations of the rights of imprisoned dervishes, which has prompted reactions from international organizations. The International Federation of Human Rights Societies, on Ordibehesht 26th, referring to the trial of arrested Gonabadi dervishes accompanied by “cover-up,” called this action a “mockery of justice” and “a clear violation of international standards.”
The U.S. State Department also, in Esfand of last year, while condemning the suppression of Gonabadi Dervishes, reacted to the suspicious death of one of these dervishes in detention and described it as concerning.
Source: Voice of America
