Assassination Attempts on 21 Lawyers in Iran Over Two Years; Six Lawyers Murdered

In the past two years, at least 21 lawyers in Iran have been targeted in assassination attempts, with six of them being murdered. The increase in danger to lawyers comes as pressure from the judiciary and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic has intensified during this period. According to investigations by the Tehran-based newspaper Etemad, in the year 1401 (2022), four murders and ten assassination attempts against lawyers occurred, while in 1402 (2023), two murders, one suspicious death, and four assassination attempts were reported. This is the only data available to the media. Afshin Ghasemi, a lawyer who was attacked on June 7 of this year near his office in the Saadatabad area of Tehran by masked assailants, told Etemad that based on footage from surveillance cameras, the attackers had been 'watching' from a 'white Peugeot 405 with tinted windows' for 'two to three hours' before he left his office. When he exited, they attacked him with 'a machete, cleaver, knives, and bizarre clubs attached with chains and blades.' Ghasemi, who was injured in 'seven areas' of his body and had his 'left foot tendon' severed, expressed hope that this incident would lead to preventing further assassination attempts on lawyers and increased sensitivity from the judiciary and the bar association. He also mentioned that he had previously been threatened in connection with 'several drug and rape cases' and believes the attack is related to one of these cases, although 'the police are currently investigating.' Earlier, in Farvardin 1402 (April 2023), another lawyer named Mehdi Ammarloui was murdered in Nishapur. According to the report, the murder suspect was a former client of Ammarloui who had not received a favorable court ruling due to 'false statements.' In Ordibehesht of the same year, Aminollah Safaei, a member of the Fars and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Bar Association, was shot and injured. In Khordad, Hossein Mohammadzadeh, a law intern in Dashtestan County, Bushehr Province, was murdered, and in Mordad 1402 (August 2023), Nasrin Keyghobadi, a member of the Central Bar Association, was targeted after leaving the courthouse in Shahroud. Additionally, in Mehr, news of the 'suspicious death' of Rahim Saeedi, a lawyer, was reported in the media; in Azar 1402 (December 2023), Hamed Miraboulghasemi was attacked in Nowshahr with 'knives, machetes, sickles, and axes' and was 'horribly injured'; and Ehsan Ravanqardi, a member of the Bushehr Bar Association, was also attacked in Dey of the same year by 'four unidentified individuals with cold weapons' and was 'severely injured.' According to this report, all these attacks have occurred in connection with the legal profession of these individuals. In the attack on lawyers in Ordibehesht 1401, Amir Sharifi Khazarti was also targeted with 'a machete and wood' and was injured, while Mehran Sadeqi Saraji was 'insulted and beaten by the secretary and soldier of that judicial complex' in one of the branches of the Tehran court. Siamak Shamsi, another lawyer, was attacked in Khordad 1401 before entering the court by 'one of his clients' in Isfahan. In Tir of the same year, Majid Sheibani was injured in Mashhad with 'a knife, sword, and machete.' In Mordad of the same year, Mahmoudreza Jafar Aghai, a lawyer in Shahroud, was murdered 'with a firearm.' In Shahrivar, attacks on two lawyers were reported; Asghar Sadegh was attacked while leaving his office but survived despite 'multiple injuries,' and Nasir Farahnejad was murdered in Khorramabad 'with multiple knife wounds.' Mohsen Barhamand, a law intern in Kerman, was murdered in Mordad of the same year in an attack by armed individuals, and in Aban, Fardad Heydarnia faced an attack by three unidentified individuals in Gilan. In Aban 1401, a lawyer whose name was not mentioned in the report was assaulted in front of the Central Bar Association in Tehran, and in Azar, Vahid Mehradi Far was injured by an unknown individual with a knife, resulting in 'his ear being cut in half.' In Dey of the same year, the vice president of the Central Bar Association reported on Instagram an attack on a lawyer, stating that the lawyer's neck had been 'cut 20 centimeters' and stitched, and his finger had also been severed and reattached. In Esfand 1401, a female lawyer in Tehran was shot dead with three bullets. According to the report, this murder occurred due to a 'family dispute,' and her husband also committed suicide after the murder. Additionally, in Esfand of the same year, Hana Zakari, the disciplinary prosecutor of the Kurdistan Bar Association, was shot. Besides the assassination attempts on 21 lawyers and the murders of some of them in the past two years, a significant number of them have faced legal cases due to their profession and for defending their clients. Among them, Maryam Arvin, a member of the Kerman Bar Association, was arrested while defending detainees of nationwide protests and died shortly after her temporary release. Maryam Arvin's mother announced shortly after her daughter's death that the cause of her death was events that occurred during her detention and 'the IV connection' in prison.