By: Golnaz Esfandiari
The Big Issue
Iran has arrested at least 44 independent lawyers since ongoing anti-establishment protests erupted in September. They include lawyers who have represented protesters arrested in the violent state crackdown on the demonstrations.
Around half of the lawyers have been released on bail, while the rest are still in prison. They include Mohammad Ali Kamifiruzi, who represented jailed journalist Nilufar Hamedi, and prominent human rights lawyer Mostafa Nili, who has also been arrested in the past.
Several attorneys who took part in protests led by lawyers in Tehran and the southern city of Shiraz last month were also arrested, the Sharq daily reported.
Why It Matters: Activists say that by jailing independent lawyers, Iran is denying political detainees the right to a fair trial. Many of those arrested and charged in the ongoing crackdown on the protests have relied on state-appointed lawyers who have reportedly done little to defend them. In some cases, the lawyers have reportedly testified against their clients.
“As the people on the front line of the battle for justice, their arrests have a detrimental impact on the thousands of protesters currently behind bars, some of whom face the death penalty without any experience of the ‘laws’ and complexities of a system of injustice,” the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights NGO said in a recent report.
What's Next: State pressure on lawyers who have taken sensitive political cases is nothing new. In recent years, Tehran has jailed prominent lawyers and human rights advocates, including Nasrin Sotoudeh and Abdolfatah Soltani. Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, meanwhile, was forced into exile. But the current crackdown on lawyers appears to be the most extensive in recent years. At least two lawyers arrested in recent months have been sentenced to prison. More lawyers are likely to be arrested and imprisoned in the weeks ahead.
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