Disqualification of 25 Prominent Lawyers for the Iranian Bar Association Elections

The Supreme Disciplinary Court of Judges, in a notification signed by Hossein Ali Niri, has disqualified 25 prominent lawyers from participating in the board of directors of the Iranian Bar Association. According to the notification issued by Mr. Niri, out of 144 candidates for the 29th election of the board, the qualifications of these 25 lawyers were not 'verified' based on certain provisions of the law regarding the issuance of law licenses, as well as investigations conducted. Among the names of those disqualified are Abdol-Samad Khormshahi, Ramadan Hajji Mashhadi, Farideh Ghayrat, Majid Pourastad, Seyyed Mahmoud Mostafavi Kashani, Saleh Nikbakht, and Ghasem Shole-Sadi. On March 4 of this year, 116 approved candidates will compete for 18 seats on the board of this independent legal entity. The elections for this legal institution, held every two years, faced similar circumstances during the 28th term when it was announced that 29 candidate lawyers were disqualified just as President Hassan Rouhani emphasized the independence of lawyers as a 'fundamental principle' during a meeting with members of the boards of the Iranian Bar Associations. This issue surprised and bewildered lawyers, according to Bahman Kashavarz, the head of the General Union of Bar Associations. Ghasem Shole-Sadi, one of the disqualified lawyers, confirmed his disqualification in an interview with Radio Farda, describing the action of the Supreme Disciplinary Court of Judges as contrary to the principle of the independence of the Bar Association.