2018 Dervish protests

Last updated
2018 Dervish protests
Part of the Iranian Democracy Movement
Date4 February 2018 – 4 March 2018
(1 month)
Location Tehran, Iran
Caused byPossible arrest of Noor Ali Tabandeh
Several Dervishes arrested
Goals-Greater religious freedom, especially for Dervishes
Methods Demonstrations, riots
Status-Protests Quelled
-Continued rise of the Iranian Democracy Movement
Parties
Lead figures
Number
Hundreds
100+ [1]
Casualties
Death(s)Up to 5 protesters [2]
5 security forces [3]
Injuries170+ protesters [4]
30 security forces
Arrested400+ [5]

The 2018 Dervish protests, which occurred in February and March 2018 in Tehran, led to clashes between security forces, and Dervishes, an Iranian Sufi group (Gonabadi Dervishes), protesting against the government, resulting in the bloody repression of protestors. [6] Tensions between Police, the IRGC, and the Basij with a number of Gonabadi Dervishes eventually led to the deaths of six people, the execution of Dervishes, and the arrest of hundreds of wounded Dervishes on March. [7]

Contents

The United States called the repression of the Dervishes the largest repression of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic, while the Ministry of Interior of Iran called the protests a plot to expand its scope to the national level by creating regional unrest. [8]

Background

The Gonabadi Dervishes are Sufi Muslims; the Iranian government considers them a threat. [9] Conversion to Sufism is frowned upon by the Shi'a religious establishment. [10]

In January 2012, at least 10 of the group's members were imprisoned in Fars province, and others may be held at Evin Prison in Tehran, including Kasra Nouri [10] [11]

Protests

On 19 February, the Sufis organized a sit-in protest at a police station, located in the Pasdaran district of Tehran, where one of their members was held. Later, clashes broke out between the Sufi protestors and security forces. Police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters. Five riot police were killed. [8]

According to the Iranian press, police arrested around 300 people, and there have been reports that some of the protesters may have been killed. [12] However, the Sufi dervishes gathered around the home of their 90-year-old leader Noor Ali Tabandeh to protect him from arrest. [9]

In the aftermath of the 19 February, protests, footage emerged that showed several Sufi protesters who were arrested, being tortured by government forces. [8]

On 4 March, it was revealed that one of the protesters had died under the custody of the Iranian government. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evin Prison</span> Prison in Iran

Evin Prison is a prison located in the Evin neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. The prison has been the primary site for the housing of Iran's political prisoners since 1972, before and after the Iranian Revolution, in a purpose-built wing nicknamed "Evin University" due to the high number of students and intellectuals detained there. Evin Prison has been accused of committing "serious human rights abuses" against its political dissidents and critics of the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran</span> State of human rights in Iran since 1979

The state of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been regarded as very poor. The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission have condemned prior and ongoing abuses in Iran in published critiques and several resolutions. The government is criticized both for restrictions and punishments that follow the Islamic Republic's constitution and law, and for "extrajudicial" actions by state actors, such as the torture, rape, and killing of political prisoners, and the beatings and killings of dissidents and other civilians. Capital punishment in Iran remains a matter of international concern.

Following the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests against alleged electoral fraud and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in Tehran and other major cities in Iran and around the world starting after the disputed presidential election on 2009 June 12 and continued even after the inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad as President of Iran on 5 August 2009. This is a timeline of the events which occurred during those protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh</span> French-Iranian jurist and scholar (born 1952)

Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh is a French-Iranian jurist, scholar, and researcher. He is known for his research on Gnosticism, Islam, and Christianity. As a human rights activist, he has pushed for reform within fundamentalist regimes such as Iran, and the reform of social or legal practices that are in violation of human rights.

The 2011–2012 protests in Iran were a series of demonstrations in Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region.

Sane Jaleh also Sanea Jaleh, Saneh Jaleh, or Sani Zhaleh was an Iranian student at the University of Arts. He was one of two students shot dead during the February 14, 2011 demonstrations in support of Egyptians and Tunisians for ousting Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali, in Tehran, Iran. According to news reports, "rival groups" of pro- and anti-Islamic government protesters "both claim" him and the other slain protester "as one of their supporters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasra Nouri</span> Iranian Jurist and political activist

Kasra Nouri is an Iranian journalist and political activist. He was the CEO of "Majzooban-e noor" website, which covered news about the Dervish religious community, Nouri was last arrested with his family during 2018 Dervish protests and sentenced to 12 years in prison and 148 lashes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persecution of Sufis</span>

Persecution of Sufis over the course of centuries has included acts of religious discrimination, persecution, and violence both by Sunni and Shia Muslims, such as destruction of Sufi shrines, tombs and mosques, suppression of Sufi orders, murder, and terrorism against adherents of Sufism in a number of Muslim-majority countries. The Republic of Turkey banned all Sufi orders and abolished their institutions in 1925, after Sufis opposed the new secular order. The Islamic Republic of Iran has harassed Sufis, reportedly for their lack of support for the government doctrine of "governance of the jurist".

The Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary is a prison approximately 32 km (20 mi) south of Tehran. Sometimes called Tehran Central Prison, it is a large prison, also known as "فشافویه ", "Fashafuyeh" or "Hasanabad-e Qom Prison". It was built in 2012 in the Hasanabad region south of Tehran, in the deserts of the Tehran to Qom highway.
Several thousand prisoners have been or are being transferred to the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary from Evin, Gohardasht and Ghezel Hessar prisons.
With an official capacity of 15,000 inmates, the prison is the largest detention facility in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–2018 Iranian protests</span> Series of demonstrations in Iran beginning on 28 December 2017

Public protests took place in several cities in Iran beginning on 28 December 2017 and continued into early 2018, sometimes called the Dey protests. The first protest took place in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city by population, initially focused on the economic policies of the country's government; as protests spread throughout the country, their scope expanded to include political opposition to the theocratic regime of Iran and its longtime Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The Iranian public showcased their fury in the protests with a wide repertoire of chants aimed at the regime and its leadership. According to The Washington Post, protesters' chants and attacks on government buildings upended a system that had little tolerance for dissent, with some demonstrators even shouting "Death to the dictator!"—referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—and asking security forces to join them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noor-Ali Tabandeh</span> Iranian spiritual leader

Noor-Ali Tabandeh was the spiritual leader or Qutb of the Ni'matullah Gonabadi Order in Iran, which is the largest Sufi order in Iran. He was born in Beydokht, Gonabad, Iran and died in Mehr Hospital in Tehran on 24 December 2019 after two years of house arrest.

The 2018 Iranian water protests were a series of protests in Iran involving demands for improvements in the provision of freshwater. The protests erupted after a period of severe drought in the country. Participants accused the Iranian authorities of water mismanagement, worsening the impact of the drought. The protests coincided with a series of larger protests and civil unrest in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–2019 Iranian general strikes and protests</span> A series of strikes and protests that took place across Iran

The 2018–2019 Iranian general strikesand protests were a series of strikes and protests that took place across Iran from early 2018 until mid-2019 against the country's economic situation, as well as the Iranian government, as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–2020 Iranian protests</span> Iranian series of protests

The 2019–2020 Iranian protests, sometimes known as Bloody November or Bloody Aban, were a series of nationwide civil protests in Iran that took place in 2019 and 2020. Initially caused by a 50–200% increase in fuel prices, they occurred as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement, leading to calls for the overthrow of the government in Iran and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The protests commenced as peaceful gatherings on the evening of 15 November but spread to 21 cities within hours, as videos of the protest circulated online, eventually becoming the most violent and severe anti-government unrest since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 2018 uprising in Iran</span> Political protest

The August 2018 uprising in Iran is a mass movement and political demonstrations that began on 31 July, sharing dissatisfaction with the economy and continued for five days in Iran.

The 2018 Iranian protests was a series of protests and massive nonviolent demonstrations across Iran throughout late-2018 against worsening tensions and deteriorating conditions as part of the 2018-2019 Iranian general strikes and protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 protests in Iran</span> Mass protests in Iran

The 2018 protests in Iran were a series mass protests and a popular uprising in June 2018 calling for better economic justice in Iran, the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the 2017-2018 Iranian protests.

The 2021-2022 Iranian protests erupted on 15 July 2021 to protest the water shortages and crisis, but were quickly met with police violence and brutality. "Bloody Aban", November 2021 saw further protests due to water shortages but various other protests and strikes also took place due to the worsening economic situation. In August 2021, Amnesty International noted that brutal forces have been used by the Security Forces to oppress the protesters.

The Zahedan massacre, also known as Bloody Friday (Balochi: زائدانءِ ھۏنݔن آدݔنَگ),⁣ was a series of violent crackdowns starting with protesters gathering and chanting in front of a police station near the Great Mosalla of Zahedan, Iran on 30 September 2022 leading to many casualties.

This is a broad timeline of the ongoing series of protests against the government of Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022. Amini had fallen into a coma after having been detained by the Guidance Patrol, allegedly for wearing an "improper" hijab—in violation of Iran's mandatory hijab law—while visiting Tehran from Saqqez.

References

  1. "Six People Said Killed, 300 Arrests At Sufi Protest In Iran". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  2. Witschge, Loes. "Iran's Gonabadi Dervishes: A 'long history' of persecution". www.aljazeera.com.
  3. "Five Iranian security officers killed at Sufi protest in Tehran". Archived from the original on 2018-02-20.
  4. "'۱۷۰ نفر از دراویش گنابادی در بیمارستان بستری هستند'". BBC News فارسی. 26 February 2018.
  5. "جزئیات جلسه کمیسیون امنیت ملی درباره حوادث گلستان هفتم/بازداشت ۳۶۰ نفر" [Details of the meeting of the National Security Commission on the events of the seventh Golestan / Detention of 360 people]. www.isna.ir (in Persian). 21 February 2018.
  6. "UK Parliament Report 2020 – No prosperity without justice: the UK's relationship with Iran Contents".
  7. "Iran: Dervishes Community Attacked by Security Forces". Iran Focus. 6 February 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "Iranian officers die in Sufi clashes". BBC News. 20 February 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Five Iranian security officers killed at Sufi protest in Tehran". Reuters. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  10. 1 2 "Gonabadi Dervish protest leaves 5 dead in Tehran" . Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  11. "Kasra Nouri | Virtual Embassy of the United States Tehran, Iran". Iran.usembassy.gov. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  12. Witschge, Loes. "Iran's Gonabadi Dervishes: A 'long history' of persecution" . Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  13. خبر, Manoto News – اتاق. "اتاق خبر". اتاق خبر. Retrieved 23 April 2018.