US: Iran Must End ‘Unjust Detention’ of Gonabadi Dervishes

The Twitter account of the US State Department reposted a tweet from the US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, calling for the release of Gonabadi Dervishes who have been unjustly detained in Iran.

“Sam Brownback,” US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: Following the tragic death of Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, we are closely monitoring the Iranian regime’s treatment of the Gonabadi Dervishes. Authorities must release those who have been unjustly detained and allow their community to choose their leaders without regime interference.

Nour Ali Tabandeh, the spiritual leader of the Gonabadi Dervishes, passed away in early December in Tehran.

Over the past two years, the Gonabadi Dervishes have been under pressure from the Iranian government, and Nour Ali Tabandeh has been under house arrest following the Golestan Haftom events.

The Golestan Haftom incident relates to February 2017, when extensive security forces and plainclothes officers gathered in front of Nour Ali Tabandeh’s house at Golestan Haftom, the residence of the Gonabadi Dervishes leader. This led to a series of clashes between security forces and special units with Gonabadi Dervishes present at Golestan Haftom. Following these clashes, 202 Gonabadi Dervishes were imprisoned and collectively sentenced to over 1,080 years in prison.

Mohammad Sollas, one of the Gonabadi Dervishes, was arrested on charges of killing police officers during these clashes and was executed.

Previously, the United States has repeatedly condemned the suppression of followers of religious minorities, including Dervishes, Bahá’ís, Christian Evangelicals, and even Sunni Muslims by the Islamic Republic regime.

Source: Voice of America