Iran's judiciary sentences 25 dervishes to a total of 69 years in prison
The Gonabadi Dervish news site says that 25 of the dervishes have been sentenced to a total of 69 years in prison by the Iranian judiciary.
The Majzooban Noor website, which publishes news about dervishes, wrote on Sunday, July 23, that these sentences were issued for dervishes arrested in clashes on Golestan 7th Street in Tehran's Pasdaran in February of last year.
On February 4, Gonabadi dervishes gathered in front of the IRGC police station to protest the arrest of an elderly dervish, which turned violent when police officers intervened. Several police officers were killed in the clashes and hundreds of Gonabadi dervishes were arrested. The Islamic Republic of Iran accused one of the dervishes, Mohammad Salas, of attacking officers with a bus and executed him in late June. His lawyer claimed that Salas had been tortured to confess.
The release of news of Mohammad Salas' execution has sparked widespread reactions from human rights organizations, political figures, civil activists, and social media users.
The US Secretary of State called the execution of Mohammad Salas "cruel and unjust" and called on US allies to condemn this action by the Iranian government.
The Majzooban Noor website wrote about the sentences of these 25 dervishes on Sunday: These dervishes were arrested and severely beaten during the Golestan 7 incident, and during the interrogation and trial process, they were deprived of all legal rights, access to a lawyer, and the right to a fair trial.
Just two weeks ago, Majzooban Noor reported that eight dervishes in Fashafoyeh Prison (Greater Tehran Penitentiary) went on a hunger strike following continued pressure on imprisoned dervishes and their deprivation of basic and legal rights.
In recent months, alarming news has been published about the violation of the rights of imprisoned dervishes, which has drawn reactions from international institutions. For example, on May 16, the International Federation of Human Rights Societies, referring to the trial of the detained Gonabadi dervishes with "undercover work," called this action a "farce of justice" and a "blatant violation of international standards."
In March of last year, the US State Department, while condemning the repression of the Gonabadi Dervishes, reacted to the suspicious death of one of these dervishes in detention, describing it as worrying.
Source: Voice of America
