Families Report on the Medical and Legal Deprivations of Imprisoned Dervishes

Pasdaran Street, Golestan Haftom is the neighborhood and street that became associated with the Gonabadi Dervishes and their clashes with security and law enforcement forces in Bahman 1396 (January-February 2018). Now, more than three months have passed since the events that led to the deaths of at least four people, injuries to dozens, and the arrest of hundreds of Gonabadi Dervishes who protested against what they saw as restrictions imposed on themselves and Noor Ali Tabandeh, the leader of this order. According to some reports, the number of detained Dervishes exceeded 400, but it is unclear how many of them are still imprisoned. Simultaneously, reports of beatings of detained Dervishes, injuries, and fractures of heads, jaws, and teeth have emerged. Sepideh Moradi is one of those currently in Qarchak prison, and her mother, Sediqeh Khalili, is worried about her condition: "My daughter's two legs were burned during her arrest due to tear gas exposure. Due to beatings with a baton, her hands, elbows, and fingers were also injured, and to prevent me from worrying, she told me after two months that her legs were burned. Now, after three months, there is still a black mark on her legs, and her hand has not healed. They have not taken her to a doctor. She also has a toothache; we have made an appointment with a dentist for her, but they do not allow her to see a doctor." According to reports from Amnesty International and several human rights defenders, Sima Entesari, Avisha Jalaleddin, Shokoufeh Yadollahi, Maryam Farsiani, Nazila Noori, Maryam Barakouhi, Elham Ahmadi, Sediqeh Safabakhsh, and Shima Entesari are other Gonabadi Dervish women who have been in Qarchak prison since the beginning of Esfand 1396 (February-March 2018). Prisoner Kamyar Shalchi, husband of Shima Entesari, describes his condition as poor: "Qarchak prison does not have good sanitary conditions. They are very strict about visits, especially in-person visits. They are very reluctant to accept items that these individuals need from outside, such as books and medicines. The prison food is also not good at all. We charge their cards, and they buy food at two or three times the price from the prison." In Greater Tehran Prison, also known as Fashafouyeh, similar conditions prevail, as reported by Elaheh Nematollahi, mother of Reza Nematollahi, one of the imprisoned Dervishes: "They have very poor sanitary and food conditions. There are lice and rats there, and no care is provided. Most of these individuals are sick. They have developed lung infections, and their wounds have become infected. For some time now, they have not allowed families to have in-person visits, and in cabin visits, the cabins are so dirty that we cannot see our children's faces." "Poor physical condition and lack of access to medicine, treatment, and medical facilities" are other issues that some families describe regarding these individuals' conditions. Niloufar Dolatshah, wife of Mohsen Azizi, one of the imprisoned Dervishes in Greater Tehran Prison, states: "We were not allowed to visit for a month and a half; they did not allow visits so that we could not see their condition. These individuals were not taken to a doctor. My husband's head has developed extra flesh. His knee is also cracked, but they did not take him to a doctor or put a cast on it. Not only my husband, but all these individuals! Some of these individuals have fractures in their heads, fingers, hands, or feet; many of them have mental health issues, and many have blood pressure problems or... they do not even allow us to bring them medicine." Prison officials have not commented on the physical condition of the imprisoned Dervishes and reports of beatings during their arrest. Over the past three months, several human rights defenders and some active organizations in this field, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, have warned about the situation of the detained Dervishes and called for their legal rights to be respected in prison. Mohammad Mostafaei, a lawyer residing in Norway, speaks about the legal rights of detainees: "The right to have a lawyer, the right to visit family, and the right to communicate with witnesses are rights of every detainee. Regarding the Gonabadi Dervishes, since this matter is political, from a judicial fairness perspective, these individuals should have more rights, such as access to media, access to books, and the detention environment for political detainees should be different from that of other accused individuals." The latest news from Iran indicates that the trial process for these Dervishes began two weeks ago, and some of them have told their families that they are under pressure to obtain forced confessions. "Conspiracy and collusion to act against national security, disturbing public order, and disobeying police orders" are the common charges against several Dervishes. While their families say these individuals are still deprived of access to a lawyer. Mohammad Mostafaei states: "According to the Iranian Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, one of the most important rights that a detained individual must have is the right to access a lawyer. The consequence of not having access to a lawyer is that the foundations of fair trial in such cases become weak, and it can be said that the verdict issued is not legal and its foundations are not fundamentally established." Currently, dozens of Gonabadi Dervishes are still awaiting trial in Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons. While Iranian judicial officials have only made a short statement regarding the status of these individuals' cases: "The charges against the Dervishes are security-related."