A/HRC/4/33/Add.1 Page 112 Para Country Date Type Mandate Allegations transmitted of protesters present in and around the Hosseiniye. At about 3pm the security forces set a deadline for the protesters to evacuate the Hosseiniye. Members of the Fatemiyon and Hojatieh groups also surrounded the place of worship, shouting slogans such as “Death to Sufis” and “Sufi-ism is a British plot”, and distributed leaflets alleging that Sufis are enemies of Islam. The security forces moved in at about 4pm and stormed the building using tear gas and explosives. They beat many of the protesters. The next day the Hosseiniye was demolished using bulldozers. Approximately 1,200 protesters were arrested and taken away on buses to unknown locations. The detainees were interrogated and many were subjected to torture or ill-treatment. Most of them were subsequently released. However, 173 are still being held. Those that were released were required to sign papers as a condition of their release, agreeing not to attend any Sufi gatherings in Qom. Some were required to sign documents renouncing Sufism. Arrest warrants have been issued for the main Sufi preacher in Qom, Seyed Ahmadi Shariati and the four lawyers who had previously been acting on behalf of the group. Their names are Amir Eslami, Omid Behrouzi, Gholamreza Harsimi and Farshid Yadollahi. Government Response