Hadi Ghaemi: Human Rights Organizations Should Be the Voice of Their Imprisoned Colleagues in the Islamic Republic's Prisons

Following the intensification of pressure by the Iranian government on human rights lawyers, Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Iran Human Rights Campaign, called for a "decisive stance" from the international legal community "against decades of repression and elimination of independent lawyers in Iran by the Islamic Republic government." On Thursday, October 19, Ghaemi emphasized: "The silence of the international community regarding the continuation of these behaviors by the officials of the Islamic Republic means paving the way for the arrest and imprisonment of protesting citizens and the lawyers who are their only refuge." In recent days, Nasir Sargaran, a well-known lawyer from Saqqez, has been arrested, and Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer for the family of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, has also been sentenced to one year in prison. Ghaemi pointed out the "arbitrary detention" of Nasir Sargaran, a blind lawyer and disability rights activist, stressing the "necessity of international support" for disability rights activists in Iran. The director of the Iran Human Rights Campaign warned that "given the dark history of the regime's treatment of civil society organizations, there will be many concerns about the further violation of the rights of persons with disabilities." Nasir Sargaran was arrested on Wednesday, October 10, in Saqqez and transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Department in Sanandaj. No news has been published regarding the charges against this lawyer. The pressure on disability rights activists is not limited to Nasir Sargaran's arrest. Recently, two disability rights activists - Behrouz Marvati, director of the Disabled Campaign based in Tehran, and Leila Mirkhushhal, the admin of this campaign - have been summoned by security agencies. Hadi Ghaemi also recalled the more than one year imprisonment of reporters covering the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, emphasizing that the conviction of Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer for Zhina Amini's family, is "not surprising." Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer representing Mahsa Amini's family, has recently been sentenced by the Islamic Revolutionary Court to the maximum penalty for the crime of propaganda against the regime. Ali Rezaei, Nikbakht's lawyer, mentioned the court's ruling regarding his client as the "maximum punishment" for the charge of "propaganda against the regime." Hadi Ghaemi reminded that "international bar associations, international human rights lawyers, and human rights organizations must be the voice of their imprisoned colleagues in the prisons of the Islamic Republic." Earlier, on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police, human rights sources reported an increase in pressure on supporters of the protesters. In July, the prosecutor's office in Boukan summoned 54 active lawyers in the city for what it called "publishing photos, images, and materials contrary to public decency." These lawyers had issued a statement on September 18 of last year, expressing support for Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's family and condemning "illegal behavior by any institution or agency under any title." The killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in custody of the morality police on September 16, 2022, led to nationwide protests in Iran, resulting in the deaths of at least five hundred people, hundreds injured, and thousands of protesters arrested.