Iranian of the Day

Majzooban-e Noor Website: On Wednesday, August 29, 2012, imprisoned Gonabadi Dervish Kasra Nouri was put on trial at Branch 106 of Shiraz General Courts, under Judge Ashouri. Kasra Nouri's lawyers Davood Montazeri and Fariborz Yadollahi were also in attendance at the trial.

A reporter for a website dedicated to providing information on the widespread persecution of Gonabadi Dervishes, Kasra Nouri was indicted for "publishing falsehoods and creating public anxiety through membership in the Majzooban-e Noor Website."

After Judge Ashouri stated Kasra Nouri's charges, Kasra Nouri explained that he was merely reporting the cruelty unleashed on Kavar Dervishes in September 2011, when security and intelligence forces incited and pressured local residents to attack the dervishes, killing one and injuring several of them. These events led to imprisonment of many dervishes. "'Creating public anxiety' is what those who instigated these events did, but where are those behind this incident, the ones who harmed and abused the dervishes?" Kasra Nouri asked the court. Addressing the judge, Nouri stated: "With the amount of influence security organizations have over the country's judicial system, and as you lack the ability to pursue the lawlessness of individuals who, throughout my detention and interrogationrefused to observe my rights as an Iranian citizen, and violated the Constitution and my legal rights, I do not recognize this court qualified to review my case and I do not accept any of these charges."

Kasra Nouri was arrested on 14 March on charges of "propagating against the regime in favor of foreigners" and "contact and interview with Radio Farda." Nouri's family discovered several days later that he had been transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Office's Detention Center, known as No. 100, but he was not allowed to see his family for a whole moth after his arrest.

Due to extremely poor hygienic conditions of the prison, Nouri has developed respiratory problems in prison and was temporarily transferred to a hospital for treatment last week.