Additional Name(s): سعید کریمایی
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Iran
Ethnic Group: Fars
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Date of Detainment: February/19/2018
Date of Release: March//2020
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Association
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Saeed Karimaei was imprisoned for his religious association and for protesting religious freedom conditions.
In February 2018, authorities arrested Karimaei following a violent crackdown on people protesting the arrest of Nematollah Riahi. Riahi, a member of the Sufi Gonabadi Order, had come to Tehran earlier in February to participate in a sit-in protesting the house arrest of spiritual leader Noor Ali Tabandeh.
There are conflicting reports on Karimaei's sentence. In August 2018, Karimaei was reportedly sentenced to seven years in prison, 74 lashes, and two years of deprived social rights. Iran Wire later reported that Karimaei had been sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Karimaei's charges are unclear.
In March 2020, Karimaei was reportedly released following a state directive in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karimaei was reportedly subjected to attacks and denied adequate medical care during his detention.
"Saeed Karimaei" United For Iran
"Iran: Over 200 Dervishes Convicted" Human Rights Watch
"Mass Conviction of Sufi Protesters “Unprecedented in Iran’s Judicial History” Center For Human Rights In Iran
"Iran: Crackdown on Dervish Minority" Human Rights Watch
"Clashes Between Police and Sufis Leave Five Dead" Iran Wire
"Six People Said Killed, 300 Arrests At Sufi Protest In Iran" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
"Clashes Highlight Tensions Between Dervishes And Iran's Establishment" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)