Iran's Police Chief Describes Gonabadi Dervishes' Sit-in and Gathering as a 'Great Sedition'

Hosseini Ishtari, the commander of the police force, on Saturday, April 4, in a meeting with a religious authority, described the sit-in and gathering of Gonabadi dervishes on Pasdaran Street in Tehran as 'disturbance' and 'great sedition.' The sit-in and gathering of Gonabadi dervishes in front of police station 102 on Pasdaran Street was in protest against the arrest of one of the dervishes, which escalated into violence and clashes with law enforcement officers. This protest took place on February 19 of last year in response to the arrest of Nematollah Riahi, a Gonabadi dervish who had been detained by Tehran's security police. During the subsequent clashes on February 19 around the home of Nourali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes, three police officers and one Basij member were killed, and over 300 protesting dervishes were arrested. Prior to these events, in mid-February, the dervishes held another gathering that also resulted in scattered clashes. Following this initial gathering, the head of Tehran's police announced that his force, the judiciary, or other agencies had no plans to confront the dervishes in the capital and accused Western media of 'fabricating lies' about the situation. He claimed that 'neither the police, nor the judiciary, nor any other agency had or has any plans to confront the dervishes in Tehran.' However, Hosseini Ishtari, the commander of the Islamic Republic's police, referred to the Gonabadi dervishes' gathering as a 'sedition' in a meeting with Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, stating: 'The sedition of the dervishes was a great sedition, but thanks to God Almighty, this sedition has also been quelled.' He continued: 'Of course, in this sedition, several members of the police force were martyred, but ultimately the conspiracy and sedition of the dervishes were exposed and neutralized, and once again the legitimacy of the system was proven.' Iranian officials also refer to the widespread protests and months-long public unrest following the 2009 presidential election results as 'sedition,' in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner. The judge in the case concerning the deaths of three police officers in Iran issued a death sentence for Mohammad Thalath, a Gonabadi dervish and the accused in this case. The death sentence for this Gonabadi dervish was issued while he denied the charges of 'premeditated murder' and 'disturbing public order through turmoil and assault' in his third and final court session. Pressure on Gonabadi dervishes in Iran began in the 2000s from the city of Qom and spread to other cities in Iran.