Human Rights Organization Calls for End to Hunger Strike of Imprisoned Dervishes

Following reports of renewed "beatings" of several imprisoned female dervishes in Qarchak prison, the daughter of Mohammad Raji, a dervish who died in police custody, reported being "summoned by phone" to the Ministry of Intelligence. Meanwhile, the "Global Association for the Preservation of Human Rights," a group active in the rights of dervishes, issued a statement on Friday, June 21, calling for an end to the hunger strike of several imprisoned dervishes. According to the Majzoban Noor website, Mostafa Azmaish, the public relations officer of this group, called for the end of the hunger strike of the Gonabadi dervishes so that, according to him, "after regaining strength, they can confront the conspiracies and pressures of this dervish-killing judiciary using effective and non-violent methods." On Saturday, June 8, the Majzoban Noor website reported that eight male dervishes were on hunger strike in Tehran's Great Prison. The strikers demanded 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. At the same time, ten imprisoned female dervishes in Qarchak prison have been on hunger strike since Friday, June 15, in protest against "beatings" and "organized violence" by the prison guards. Sedigheh Khalili, the mother of Sepideh Moradi, one of these women, told Radio Farda that on Wednesday, June 21, the dervish women protested against the failure to provide phone cards, and prison officials "asked some prisoners convicted of murder and trafficking to beat them." According to Ms. Khalili, the prison guards then attacked the dervish women "with tasers and batons," separating them from one another and transferring them to different wards. Meanwhile, the Majzoban Noor website reported that on June 26, the imprisoned dervish women in Qarchak prison were once again "attacked and severely beaten by general crime prisoners, incited by prison officials to break their hunger strike." According to this report, on that day, "prison officials turned off the prison's internal cameras and forced prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and execution to attack the imprisoned female dervishes and beat them in the most brutal manner possible." Dervish rights activists stated that these women are being held in "general wards" of Qarchak prison, contrary to the prison organization’s regulations regarding the separation of crimes. Amnesty International had previously reported that female dervishes in Qarchak prison "are subjected to mockery and verbal abuse, including sexual insults, and do not have access to adequate medical services." A protest gathering of Gonabadi dervishes on February 19 last year around the home of Noor Ali Tabandeh, the leader of this order, turned violent with the intervention of security forces and motorcyclist plainclothes agents. Reports indicate that 500 dervishes were arrested in these clashes, of which 360 are imprisoned. Mohammad Raji, a Gonabadi dervish arrested during the Pasdaran street clashes, died in March 2018, just days after his arrest. While the Majzoban Noor website reported the death of this Gonabadi dervish during "interrogation," judicial officials denied that Mr. Raji was killed in police custody, claiming he died during the clashes. Meanwhile, the Majzoban Noor website reported that Tayebeh Raji, the daughter of Mohammad Raji, was "summoned by phone to the Ministry of Intelligence" on Thursday morning, June 30. In response to this action by the Ministry of Intelligence, Ms. Raji tweeted: "You slaughtered my father, and you want me to be silent? By God, I would rather die than live in humiliation." Mohammad Thalath, an imprisoned dervish accused of running over and killing three police officers, was executed on Tuesday morning, June 18. During the trial of this Gonabadi dervish, domestic news agencies quoted Mr. Thalath as denying the intentionality of the killings of the police officers. However, Zeynab Taheri, his lawyer, and his children stated that Mr. Thalath "was arrested three hours before the incident and was not the bus driver." Additionally, in an audio file released from Mohammad Thalath, he stated that he was not the driver of the bus and confessed to this due to "several hours of torture" at the police station. Zeynab Taheri, Mohammad Thalath's lawyer, tweeted that she intends to publish "evidence of his innocence." Following this tweet, reports emerged about the arrest of Ms. Taheri on Tuesday, June 29, and the next day, the Tehran prosecutor announced "legal action" against her. In this context, the United States expressed concern over the arrest of Mohammad Thalath's lawyer, condemned his execution, and the European Union also condemned the execution.