Seven detained Iranian dervishes have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms by the Islamic Republic judiciary.
The Majzooban-e Noor website, the news source for Gonabadi Dervishes, reports that in addition to sentencing them to prison, Judge Salavati has also “banned the dervishes from membership in activist groups and from any form of media activity.”
Reza Moradi Sarvestani, the head of the Majzooban Noor website, has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail; Reza Entesari, a photojournalist for the site, has been given eight and a half years in jail, and the remaining detainees, all active on the website, have been given seven and a half years in jail.
The seven dervishes have been found guilty of “establishing the illegal organization Majzooban-e Noor in an attempt to disturb national security, propagate against the regime, insult the leader and disrupt public order.”
Iranian dervishes have become a target of persecution by Iranian authorities in recent years, and Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi has spoken in their support in the past year, calling on the Islamic Republic to stop imposing pressure on them.
