Lawyers under an Authoritarian Apparatus

In recent months, human rights lawyers and defenders have increasingly been threatened with arrests, unfair persecutions, and constant government harassment in multiple cities of Iran including Tabriz, Gilan and Zanjan. Many are being arrested for their work defending human and women’s rights activists, many of whom are students. The regime has attempted to reduce the number of the lawyers by imprisoning or banning them from practicing law. These actions question the legitimacy of the regimes application of the rule of law.

In a statement released recently, Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the recent arrests of Iranian human rights lawyers Mohammad Seifzadeh and Alireza Rajai. Mohammad Seifzadeh is a founding member of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, an organization that Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and distinguished Iranian lawyers like Abdolfattah Soltani and Mohammed Oliyaiefard are associated with.

The Centre for Human Rights Defenders is a coalition of human rights activists and lawyers who help defend cases of political rights violations. In 2006, the government announced that the organization’s activities were “illegal”- a charge that is being highly disputed. Mr. Seifzadeh has also defended imprisoned journalists in the past. On April 22nd, two weeks after his disappearance, his family was informed that he was being held on charges of “acting against national security”. In October 2010, the revolutionary court sentenced Mr. Seifzadeh to nine years in prison and banned him from practicing law for 10 years because of his work for the Centre for Human Rights Defenders.

Reporters Without Borders asserted that the Islamic Republic is systematically punishing human rights lawyers. They urged international legal groups to stand against these actions and to demand the lawyers’ immediate release.

Another prominent lawyer at the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was also arrested. She is currently serving an 11 year jail sentence, a 10 year ban on professional activities, and a 10 year travel ban.

Karim Lahidji, Vice-president of International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and President of the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI), stated “We call on the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers to intervene to stop harassment and persecution of lawyers in Iran, who are increasing targeted for practising their profession.”