Letter from 'Three Thousand' in Protest Against 'Pressure on Judges' in the Case of the Founder of Erfan Halqa

A large number of students of Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of 'Erfan Halqa', protested in an open letter published on Tuesday against 'pressure on judges' in his case by 'security institutions'. This open letter, signed by three thousand of Mr. Taheri's 'students', was published on Tuesday, August 8, in the 'Erfan News Agency' associated with the Erfan Halqa group and was also sent to Radio Farda. Mohammad Ali Taheri established an institute called 'Erfan Halqa' in 2001, engaging in activities related to 'Iranian complementary medicine, transcendental therapy, and Scientology'. He was arrested in 2011, and the initial sentence issued against him was 'execution'. In 2016, his death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court, and the case was referred back to the Revolutionary Court for reconsideration; however, it is still unclear when his case will be concluded. Despite Mohammad Ali Taheri's imprisonment, a group of his supporters continues to engage in activities of this group and has held protests in several cities in Iran and abroad against his continued detention and sentence. In a recent action, a number of Mr. Taheri's students, reportedly numbering three thousand, signed an open letter referring to 'pressure' from the security institutions of the Islamic Republic. The signatories of the letter specifically mentioned 'pressure from the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' and alleged that due to this pressure, the judges of the case have been unable to make decisions regarding it. The letter states: 'Due to the pressure from security currents, Mr. Ahmadzadeh cannot make a decision regarding Mr. Taheri's freedom considering the issuance of a non-prosecution order and the overturning of the death sentence by the Supreme Court.' The letter from Mr. Taheri's students comes at a time when, particularly in the past month or two, news has emerged of the arrest of dozens of members of the Erfan Halqa group in Iran. For instance, the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC in Isfahan Province reported in mid-August the arrest of 12 members of the 'Erfan Halqa' group in this city. Previously, on August 24, the IRGC's Intelligence Organization in Isfahan had announced that eight members and supporters of what it called the 'deviant network of Erfan Halqa' had been arrested in Shahin Shahr. On July 18, the IRGC branch in Isfahan reported the arrest of '11 members and supporters of the deviant network of Erfan Halqa in Najafabad'. In this regard, Amnesty International has expressed concern over the reissuance of the 'death sentence' for Mohammad Ali Taheri.