Eight Imprisoned Dervishes Go on Hunger Strike

On Saturday, the Gonabadi Dervishes' media reported that eight imprisoned dervishes in Greater Tehran prison have gone on a hunger strike in protest against what they call "widespread violations of the rights" of these ideological prisoners. The website Majzooban Noor identified these eight dervishes as Zafer Ali Moqimi, Mohsen Azizi, Mohammad Baqer Moqimi, Ali Jamshidi, Hossein Fahimi, Mostafa Shirazian, and Mohammad Ali Karimi. At least five of these dervishes had started their hunger strike some time ago, which was reflected on social media platforms such as Twitter last week. Reports indicate that the strikers are demanding an end to the house arrest of Noor Ali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes, and the release of "360 dervishes" who have been in temporary detention since the events on Golestan 7th Street in Pasdaran. In Bahman 1396 (January-February 2018), severe clashes occurred between Gonabadi dervishes and security forces who attempted to raid Noor Ali Tabandeh's home, resulting in the deaths of at least four people, injuries to dozens, and the detention of hundreds of Gonabadi dervishes. Reports indicate that Mr. Tabandeh has been under house arrest since then. He implicitly confirmed these reports before Nowruz this year. During this time, multiple reports have emerged detailing the dire conditions of detained dervishes in prison. Amnesty International reported that female dervishes in Shahr-e Rey prison are subjected to mockery and verbal abuse, including sexual insults, and have been denied access to appropriate medical services. The news agency HRANA, which covers human rights issues, previously reported on the situation of these female dervishes in Qarchak prison, describing it as "very critical and deplorable." These conditions have prompted several dervishes to go on hunger strike in prison, with the number now reaching eight. The Majzooban Noor website stated that the physical condition of some of them is also critical.