IRGC Arrests 17 Members of 'Erfan Halqeh' in Arak

The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Markazi Province announced on Tuesday the arrest of 17 members of 'Erfan Halqeh' in the city of Arak. In a statement released on Tuesday, November 25, the detainees were described as 'exploitative' individuals who expressed 'regret and remorse' after 'guidance.' The IRGC of Markazi Province added that these individuals were 'guided' with the 'assistance of experienced instructors' and in coordination with the judiciary. 'Seven of the group leaders and ten effective members' of 'Erfan Halqeh' are among those arrested. The IRGC of Markazi Province, in another part of its statement, accused the members of 'Erfan Halqeh' of creating 'doubt' in the religious beliefs of the people. Members of this group are also known in Iran as supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of the cultural and artistic institute 'Erfan Halqeh,' who has held protests in the past two weeks against the continued imprisonment of the institute's founder in Tehran. Supporters of Mr. Taheri gathered in early November in front of Baqiyatallah Hospital, which belongs to the IRGC, where it was reported that Taheri had been transferred following a hunger strike. Mohammad Ali Taheri was arrested for the third time in May 2011 on charges of 'corruption on earth' and has been in prison since then. During this time, Mr. Taheri has been tried multiple times, and reports of a death sentence for him have been published by some media outlets. For instance, the 'Mizan' news agency reported on August 8 of this year, citing an 'informed source,' that a death sentence had been issued for Mohammad Ali Taheri and that this sentence had been communicated to his lawyer. The news agency stated that the charges against Taheri included 'insulting sacred beliefs,' 'illegal interference in medical affairs and treatment of patients,' 'committing forbidden acts and illicit relationships,' and 'unauthorized use of scientific titles such as doctor and engineer.' Five years of imprisonment, a fine of 900 million tomans, and 74 lashes are among the other punishments that, according to this news agency, the Revolutionary Court has imposed on the founder of the cultural and artistic institute 'Erfan Halqeh.' Meanwhile, it was previously reported on June 30 that an 'informed source' had denied the issuance of a death sentence for the founder of 'Erfan Halqeh.' In recent years, supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri have held several protests, and many of them have also been arrested and imprisoned. Mr. Taheri stated in a letter in July 2014 to Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, that 'interrogators and investigators' forced him into 'fabricated confessions' through 'pressure and psychological torture.' Mohammad Ali Taheri, who established an institute called 'Erfan Halqeh' in 2001 to provide services about 'Iranian complementary medicine, transcendental therapy, and scientology,' was arrested in 2011. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Taheri was also arrested once in 2010 and was released after 67 days in solitary confinement.