Islamic Republic security forces beat and arrested protesters at a gathering of Gonabadi dervishes and the families of jailed dervishes in front of the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office.
The Majzooban-e Noor website reports that more than 80 women and at least 200 men were arrested at the event. Gonabadi dervishes had announced that they planned to gather on Saturday morning in front of the prosecutor’s office in protest against the treatment of jailed dervishes.
More than 2,000 Gonabadi dervishes from across the country have stopped eating in solidarity with 10 of their jailed peers in Evin, Rejaishahr, Nezam Shiraz and Bandar Abbas Prisons, who have gone on a hunger strike to protest their conditions.
Majzooban-e Noor reports that the protests were joined by: Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer; Gohar Eshghi, the mother of jailed blogger Sattar Beheshti, who died three days after his arrest; Massoumeh Dehghan, the wife of jailed human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani, and political activist Nargess Mohammadi.
At least 13 Gonabadi dervishes and their lawyers have been arrested in recent years for charges such as acting against national security and disturbing the public.
Recently, nine of the jailed lawyers wrote to President Hassan Rohani, calling for a review of their cases. Dervish rights activists report that Gonabadi dervishes have been subjected to severe persecution in the past eight years.
