Leader of Gonabadi Dervishes Confirms His 'House Arrest'

Nur Ali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi Dervishes, implicitly announced his 'house arrest' and expressed hope that the restrictions imposed on him and other members of this group would be lifted by the Persian New Year. In a message published on the Majzoubane Noor website, he addressed a 'group of the poor and friends' who are 'worried about his condition,' stating that they should not be 'worried' and that his 'mood' is good. However, he added that he currently 'cannot go outside,' but is 'free at home.' Nur Ali Tabandeh, known as Majzoub Ali Shah, also congratulated everyone on the approaching New Year, adding that 'perhaps God wants' him to 'be able to see everyone by the holiday.' He asked everyone to 'pray' for him and said, 'God willing, I will reach you soon.' On February 19, a protest by the Gonabadi Dervishes around Nur Ali Tabandeh's home escalated into violence with the intervention of security forces and plainclothes motorcyclists. Following this violence, which led to the arrest of hundreds of Dervishes, images and reports of several detainees who had been severely 'beaten' were published. Active members of this group on social media have also reported multiple instances of 'head, jaw, and dental fractures' and poor physical conditions of some detainees before and during their transfer to detention centers. Since then, unconfirmed reports of Mr. Tabandeh's 'house arrest' and his being forced to issue messages to the Dervishes have emerged, and his statements released on Tuesday confirm the restrictions on him. The leader of the Dervishes had previously asked them to refrain from visiting Tehran and participating in the group's ceremonies for the time being. Recently, Tayebeh Raji, the daughter of Mohammad Raji, a Gonabadi Dervish, reported her father's death during 'detention and interrogation.' Judicial authorities denied that Mr. Raji died in police custody, claiming he was killed during the clashes in the street. However, according to Tayebeh Raji, law enforcement officers threatened their family, demanding that they bury his body at night, which, despite the family's objections, was buried on the evening of the following Tuesday with a few family members and police present in Aligudarz County. Mr. Raji was a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a chemical warfare victim. After police officials announced that two Basij members and three police officers were killed in the clashes on February 19, judicial authorities emphasized the 'swift and extraordinary' punishment of the Gonabadi Dervishes arrested during the clashes on Pasdaran Street. Meanwhile, dozens of political and civil activists residing in Iran expressed concern about the health status of the detained Gonabadi Dervishes, stating that Iranian officials' remarks about 'immediate trials' for the detainees have 'called into question' the impartiality of their courts. Concurrently with the release of Nur Ali Tabandeh's message, the website of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also reported on his meeting with the family of one of the Basij members killed in these clashes. The website of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Mohammad Hossein Hadadian was 'a young Basij member who was martyred on February 19 during the night of the martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra by rioters on Pasdaran Street in Tehran.' Mr. Khamenei's visit to the home of this Basij member's parents could be seen as a form of endorsement of the recent violence against the Gonabadi Dervishes. It is noteworthy that members of this group have criticized government actions against them at least twice in 2005 and 2010 and have called for his intervention in this regard. The pressure on the Gonabadi Dervishes in the Islamic Republic initially began in the most religious city in Iran, Qom, and intensified in the 2000s. The destruction of several of this group's Hosseiniyahs, the arrest of followers of Mr. Tabandeh, including students and merchants in various cities across Iran, and the imposition of restrictions and opposition to their gatherings ultimately led to bloody clashes on February 19 in Tehran.