Free The Shiraz Four: Iranian Gonabadi Dervishes Sentenced For Peaceful Activism
- Target:
- Ahmed Shaheed, UN, OHCHR, Navi Pillay, Ban ki-Moon, EU, European Parliament, State Department
- Region:
- Iran
- Website:
- www.majzooban.org
Branch 2 of Shiraz Revolutionary Court issued its verdicts against four Gonabadi Dervishes. They have been collectively sentenced to 8 years in prison plus 12 years of exile.
They have been found guilty of "membership in opposition group (Majzooban Noor) with the intent to disturb national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic", according to the allegations in the case, and the sentences that were issued by Judge Yazdanian are as follows:
Saleheddin Moradi Sarvestani: 3 years imprisonment - 3 years exile in Hormozgan Province
Farzaneh Nouri: 2 years imprisonment plus 3 years internal exile in Khuzestan province
Behzad Nouri: 2 years imprisonment plus 3 years internal exile in Bushehr Province
Farzad Darvish: 1 year imprisonment plus 3 years internal exile in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.
Their lawyers described the sentences as unjust so are planning to appeal. The lawyers stated that it is absolutely an illegal judgement obtained against Dervishes and will submit their defense bill to appeals Branch.
It should be mentioned that, Saleheddin Moradi Sarvestani who has been temporarily released from Adel Abad prison on June 6th, was also sentenced to one year jail term plus one year of exile on charges of "inciting public opinion" and "disturbing the public order" by Kavar's General Court.
In spite of the fact that Mr. Moradi had been already confined in AdelAbad prison for 20 months so he has been in detention more than the serving of a period of time which would equate to his sentence and his detention was absolutely unlawful, on Sunday (12 Khordad 1392/ June 2, 2013) he was temporarily released on parole by Shiraz's Revolutionary Court order which was approved by Kavar's General Court, too. Dervish right activist, Saleheddin Moradi Sarvestani, along with another jailed Dervish, Kasra Nouri, had been protesting with a hunger strike against the illegal transfer of their Dervish lawyers to solitary confinement in Evin prison for 90 days and after their demands were met, they ended their prolong-term hunger strike.
Imprisoned Gonabadi Dervish, Kasra Nouri, was also sentenced at Branch 3 of Shiraz's Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Rashidi to four years and four months imprisonment on charges of "propaganda against the regime, acting against national security, insulting the leadership and belonging to a deviant group (Majzooban Noor)". His case is now on appeal process.
We the undersigned demand that the international community bring all possible pressure to bear upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to IMMEDIATELY and UNCONDTIONALLY vacate the prison sentences of Saleheddin Moradi Servestani, Farzaneh Nouri, Behzad Nouri and Farzad Darvish and drop all charges against them.
Both the charges brought against them and the prison sentences are illegal under both international law and Article 24 of the Iranian constitution.
We further demand that the international community insist that the regime in Iran free ALL prisoners of conscience and halt ALL persecution against ALL minority groups in Iran!
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The Free The Shiraz Four: Iranian Gonabadi Dervishes Sentenced For Peaceful Activism petition to Ahmed Shaheed, UN, OHCHR, Navi Pillay, Ban ki-Moon, EU, European Parliament, State Department was written by John S. Burke and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.