Last week on 3rd of Esfand 1391(Feb 21, 2013), the jailed Gonabadi Dervishes’s lawyers had a short visit with their families after 37 days of being held incommunicado.
According to Majzooban Noor, that meeting caused raising concerns over their conditions.
It should be reminded that, seven Gonabadi Dervishes’s lawyers and Majzooban Noor’s managers (Messrs. Hamid Reza Moradi Sarvestani, Amir Eslami, Mostafa Daneshjou, Farshid Yadollahi, Afshin Karampour, Omid Behroozi and Reza Entesari) because of refusing to participate in court due to illegal process hearing, under order from judge Salavati, have been sent to solitary confinement in Evin prison since 42 days ago.
Fourth trial of these Prisoners of Conscience who are currently being held in solitary confinement in security section 209, will be held on 21 Esfand 1391( March 11 2013).
Gonabadi dervish and wife of Amir Eslami, Mrs. Maryam Shirini, in an interview with “Melli-Mazhabi website, began to talk with a poem from Hafiz:
“I am happy by the world because
The world is happy by Him
I love all of the universe because
All the world is belong to him
We as Dervishes, are peaceful Muslims and if we defend ourselves this is only for peace and freedom. We did not hurt anyone and we are not political at all.We have our religious belief but they treat us as political! We have already written a letter to the Supreme Leader which in we have requested Mr Khamenei to pay attention to this issue but unfortunately it has been left unanswered.”
By referring to tense security atmosphere in the visiting room during the last visit with her husband, she pointed that: “Several officers attended alongside Dervish lawyers and their conflicting responses showed that they have spent a hard time as they isolated in solitary confinement, interrogated and beaten. When I asked my husband if he is fine, his eyes responded that he is in bad situation as two officers were standing over him, who were trying to control our talkings…I could not even tell my husband about being summoned to the Intelligence Ministry because the officer took the phone and insulted me…They did not let us to speak comfortably in just a few minutes but I could understand that he is under pressure through his eyes…”
“Up to now I had not seen my husband in such circumstances. His face was swollen and yellow colored with the bruise around his eyes… And even he was not aware of their court’s date(21 Esfand)”, Maryam Eslami added.
“By their words we found that, these seven Dervishes are being held separately in Ward 209 and unaware of each other’s position. It seemed that no one knew the date of their trail and mentioning the name of the court was a wrongdoing! because some families who was told their loved ones about trail date, the prison officers had took the phone and told them that they are not allowed to talk any more!”
“Jailed Dervish lawyer, Mr. Farshid Yadollahi had told his wife that they have complained against violation of law by judge Salavati but there is no one who can deliver the letter to Judicial authorities.”
The wife of Amir Eslami said: “The judge responsible for their case is Mr. Salavati. They are accused of “acting against national security and insulting the Leadership and spreading lies.”
Up to now, three courts have been set for them but the dervishes lawyers refused to attend the court session because the legal procedure were not met by the authorities; a court that neither their lawyers were allowed to talk to their clients nor would the court permit the lawyers to attend for dependence; they are lawyer and attorneys themselves and cannot break the law, and for this reason they were illegally sentenced to solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin prison (where they had been already confined for 4 months) in order to put more pressure on them. whenever we come to judge Salavati, he does not give any answer to us and just says that: “If they would not attend the court then they must remain in solitary confinement and if they decide not to appear on court date, I will tie their hands and feet and take them to court by force.” I do not know what they are doing with them, If their aim is to demoralize Dervishes, I must say that it has no effect. These inmates say that if the sentence has already been fulfilled then we do not need to attend the court and if not, then let us to defend ourselves against the charges in a fair trial.”
Her husband, Gonabadi Dervish Amir Eslami is a lawyer who along with six other dervish attorneys and Majzooban Noor website’s managers has been arrested and being held in jail since Shahrivar 90 (Sep 2011).
Maryam Shirini also about her summon explained that: “Security forces summoned me and asked why I am talking to foreign media and I told them our follow up has no consequence and no one is accountable. We have no other choice but to interview on the subject of our conditions.”