Assassination Attempt on a Bar Association Member; Judiciary Freezes the Bank Accounts of Lawyer Forough Sheikh Al-Islami

Simultaneously with the assassination attempt on Afshin Ghasemi, a lawyer in Tehran, the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic froze 'all bank accounts' of another lawyer named Forough Sheikh Al-Islami. The legal advisory group 'Dadban' reported on Tuesday, June 8, that the freezing of Sheikh Al-Islami's bank accounts and her travel ban was announced, with the execution judge informing her defense lawyer that the freezing of accounts and her travel ban was 'completely intentional and deliberate.' Forough Sheikh Al-Islami was accused last September of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic and encouraging corruption and prostitution' and was sentenced to '10 years in prison and a two-year ban on residing in provincial centers in Iran,' a ruling that was changed to 'monetary punishment' upon appeal. According to the report, while Sheikh Al-Islami has attempted to pay the monetary fine to lift the freeze on her bank accounts, the execution branch 'informed her that the purpose of the freeze was not to collect the monetary fine issued by the court, but to exert pressure for the finding of' Ms. Sheikh Al-Islami. According to Dadban, the Judiciary and the first execution branch in Tehran 'has no legal authorization for freezing accounts' and can only freeze an amount 'equivalent to the monetary penalty' from the convicted person's bank account. Hours before the announcement of the freezing of bank accounts and the travel ban on this lawyer, another human rights source reported an 'assassination attempt' on Afshin Ghasemi, a member of the Central Bar Association, in Saadat Abad's Kaj Square in Tehran. Sina Yousofi, a lawyer, announced on social media platform X on Monday, June 7, that another lawyer named Afshin Ghasemi was targeted around 5 PM by 'armed and unknown assailants' in Kaj Square. According to him, Afshin Ghasemi had previously been threatened by unknown individuals related to a case he took on that involved accusations of sexual assault against women. The attackers on Afshin Ghasemi were 'three individuals' armed with 'firearms and cold weapons' in a 'license plate-less Peugeot vehicle' who assaulted this lawyer in a busy area. This lawyer also emphasized that the Islamic Republic government 'does not take any legal or precautionary measures to prevent the murder and assassination attempts on lawyers' and instead 'puts their lives at risk with propaganda actions against lawyers.' Sina Yousofi had previously stated to Voice of America about the pressures on lawyers that the Islamic Republic considers 'the interests of the regime' in 'cutting off the hands of independent lawyers from the judiciary.'