Detention Extended for Gonabadi Dervish Just Before Release

Kasra Nouri, a member of the Gonabadi Dervish order, was ordered to remain in detention just prior to his release. Authorities have increasingly targeted Gonabadi Dervishes, arresting over 100 in the past year.

Just prior to his release, Kasra Nouri, a member of the Gonabadi Dervish order, was ordered to remain in prison, his mother, Shokoofeh Yadollahi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

“Following the efforts of the lawyer and the family, Kasra was supposed to have been released last week, but, unfortunately, on orders from the investigative judge in charge of Kasra’s file, his detention orders have been extended,” Yadollahi told the Campaign. “I hope he is released soon, as my son does not deserve to be detained. He is just a Dervish and should not be detained for being a Dervish or for interviewing with a news outlet,” she added.

On 14 March 2012, Kasra Nouri was arrested on the charges of “propagating against the regime in favor of foreigners” and “contact and interview with Radio Farda.”

Yadollahi explained to the Campaign that her son has faced bad prison conditions, particularly the two weeks he spent inside the Quarantine Ward of Shiraz Central Prison: “This detention center has tragic conditions and its inmates are exposed to the worst hygienic circumstances. The inhumane treatment by authorities and interrogators, accompanied with torture, is against laws for citizens’ rights.”

Nouri had also spent some time in the Detention Center of the Shiraz Intelligence Office, unbeknownst to his family. “After several days of no information about the detention location of my son and a search by his family and lawyer, it turned out that Kasra had been transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Office’s Detention Center, known as No. 100. After multiple attempts, we were able to visit with him on Tuesday, 11 April, a whole month after his arrest,” said Shokoofeh Yadollahi.

Nouri’s mother added that her son had previously been arrested on 11 January 2012 on the charges of “acting against the regime” and “membership in a deviant group.” After spending 46 days inside the Shiraz Intelligence Office and Adel Abad Prison, he was released on a $50,000 bail.

Judicial authorities have cracked down on the Gonabadi Dervish order, resulting in hundreds of arrests last year. On 3 May, a trial for 189 Gonabadi Dervishes began at Branch 104 of the Boroujerd General Criminal Court in Lorestan Province. The Dervishes on trial face charges of “acting against national security” and “creating public anxiety through assembly and issuing petitions and statements.”

The trial is expected to last ten days. Several Dervishes under trial at this court have not received summonses yet. According to the lawyers representing the Dervishes, considering the court hours and the number of individuals under trial, it is expected that during each day of the trial, the cases of 18 to 20 individuals are reviewed.

Some of the lawyers representing the 189 Dervishes include Gholamreza Hersini, Ehsanollah Heydari, Saeed Gholamian, and Maryam Moshfegh, along with 17 other lawyers.

Kasra Nouri’s mother told the Campaign that government officials have also harassed her family: “Last week, Kasra’s 16-year old brother Amir Nouri was interrogated for five hours inside Intelligence Office’s Detention Center, known as No. 100. We remain under pressure during our visits and [the authorities] do not treat us properly.”