Mohammad Raji, a Gonabadi Dervish, Dies During Detention

The daughter of Mohammad Raji, one of the detained Gonabadi Dervishes, confirmed in an interview with Radio Farda that law enforcement officials have stated that her father fell into a coma and died "due to inflicted injuries." Tayebe Raji said on Sunday, March 4, that law enforcement officials contacted her family and asked them to come to the 10th department of intelligence in Shapur Street, Tehran, with his photo and identification documents. According to Ms. Raji, after a relative visited the intelligence department, officials informed them that one of the detainees was in a coma "due to inflicted injuries." Ms. Raji stated that officials then called the family representative who visited the intelligence department and informed them that Mr. Raji had died. Tayebe Raji also told Radio Farda that her father had been "severely beaten" during his detention on March 1 and was in "critical condition" but had "moved his hand" before losing contact with the family. She added, "If my father was in a coma, at least the minimum civil right would have been to inform us that we could see him." Tayebe Raji also mentioned that law enforcement officials have not provided the family with any information regarding the time of her father's body delivery. Earlier, the Majzoban Noor website, which covers news related to Gonabadi Dervishes, reported that Mr. Raji "was killed due to inflicted injuries during interrogation at the police detention center." However, the Tehran public prosecutor denied that his death occurred "during investigations" while confirming the news of one detainee's death. Reports indicate that Mohammad Raji was a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had been chemically injured during the Iran-Iraq war. According to the Majzoban Noor website, after separating from the IRGC in 2004, he worked as a farmer in the village of Mazra'abad in Aligudarz. Tayebe Raji also mentioned that her brother Mohammad Ali Raji, born in 1995, went to Pasdaran Street to care for their father, who was a "chemical injury victim," and was also detained and is currently in Fashafouyeh prison. Previously, reports had also emerged regarding the deaths of three detained Dervishes in the hospital, and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, confirmed that one of the Dervishes had died in the hospital but did not mention the name of this individual. In recent days, videos and photos of severe "beatings" of detained Dervishes and reports of "head, jaw, and several teeth fractures" and poor physical conditions of some of them have been published. Judiciary officials have emphasized the need for "swift and extraordinary punishment" for detained Gonabadi Dervishes involved in the Pasdaran street clashes, and the Tehran police chief announced that the driver of a bus, who allegedly ran over three police officers leading to their deaths, would be executed before the end of 2017. Meanwhile, according to IRNA news agency, the Tehran prosecutor claimed on Sunday that the "serious demand of the people" from the judiciary is for a "quick and public trial" of the detained Dervishes, and this demand is "reasonable." Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi added, "Of course, such audacity was not due to the weakness of security and law enforcement agencies; rather, it stemmed from the decision of the security council to prevent clashes; however, where it turned into a crime, serious action became necessary." The day before, 87 political and civil activists had emphasized in a statement that the published news about the "immediate and extraordinary trial" of detained Dervishes has already undermined the principle of independence and impartiality of the court. The emphasis of Islamic Republic officials on punishing detained Gonabadi Dervishes comes as a protest gathering by Gonabadi Dervishes around the house of Nour Ali Tabandeh, the leader of this order, turned violent with the intervention of security forces and plainclothes motorcyclists on Tuesday, February 19. Earlier, the Human Rights Defenders Center, chaired by Shirin Ebadi, had reported in its February report on human rights violations in Iran that "the root of many unfortunate incidents in street protests is the presence and intervention of Basij forces at the scene of the incident." The Gonabadi Dervishes' gathering on Tuesday, February 19, initially began in front of the 102nd police station in northern Tehran in protest against the detention of a Dervish named Nematollah Riahi. About two weeks prior to that, Gonabadi Dervishes had gathered after reports emerged about the establishment of a checkpoint near the house of Nour Ali Tabandeh, which also turned violent with the intervention of security forces. The actions of the Islamic Republic against this group intensified in 2005 when widespread destruction of Gonabadi Dervish houses of worship began in various cities in Iran, and subsequently, many Dervishes were detained. The Human Rights Defenders Center had written in an open letter to the UN Secretary-General in 2014 that Gonabadi Dervishes have faced "continuous harassment such as imprisonment, deprivation of social rights, threats..." for over 15 years.