155 Lawyers Demand Acceptance of Defense for Detainees from Recent Protests

155 lawyers have expressed concern in a letter to the head of the judiciary regarding the "number of detainees" from the recent widespread protests and have called for the acceptance of defense for those arrested. The lawyers who signed the letter to Sadegh Amoli Larijani stated, "As you are aware, there have been widespread arrests by security and law enforcement agencies during the recent protests, the subsequent responsibility of which lies with the judicial system under your management." According to these 155 lawyers, the lack of accurate statistics on detainees and victims has caused "psychological unrest and concern among the people." These Iranian lawyers, referring to constitutional principles and other legal provisions, wrote that to "assist lawyers in enforcing the law and monitoring the rights of each detainee" and to "address current concerns... we expect you to facilitate and assist the presence of lawyers in accepting defense for the detainees." Concurrently, Hossein Ahmadi-Nia, one of the signatory lawyers, expressed concern in an interview with the Human Rights Campaign in Iran about "mass suicides" in detention centers and the "lack of transparent and accurate information." Mr. Ahmadi-Nia, who represents some of the detainees from the December protests, emphasized that his clients "are in good mental health and do not intend to commit suicide." The letter from the lawyers and their statements continue the concerns raised in recent days by activists, human rights organizations, and some government officials and members of parliament regarding the detainees. Iranian officials have confirmed the deaths of Sina Ghanbari in the quarantine of Evin Prison and Vahid Heydari in a detention center in Arak. Mohsen Adeli is another citizen reported to have died in Dezful prison. On January 13, a report about the "delivery" of the body of Saro Ghahramani to his family was published. Reports about the deceased are not limited to these citizens. On the other hand, some Iranian judicial officials have denied the connection of these deaths to the protests, claiming they were "addicts," had "problems," or "committed suicide." There have also been statements regarding the "affiliation" of the victims with opposition groups to the Islamic Republic. A series of these statements and reactions have added to the existing ambiguities, especially since the judiciary has not yet agreed to requests from government and parliamentary officials to visit the prisons. This is while some activists and legal experts have called for the establishment of an "independent committee" to follow up on the status of detainees and recent deaths. In the widespread protests in Iran, which featured strong slogans against the leaders and domestic and regional policies of the Islamic Republic, more than 3,700 people were arrested, and the judiciary spokesperson has confirmed the deaths of at least 25 individuals. The judiciary announced last week that there are currently "about 400 people" in custody. No independent source has confirmed the current number of detainees.