Khosrow Alikordi, Human Rights Lawyer, Arrested

A media outlet monitoring human rights news in Iran has reported the arrest of Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer for families seeking justice, in the city of Mashhad and his transfer to an unknown location. The news website Hrana reported on Wednesday, December 26, that Mr. Alikordi, who was serving his sentence on an open verdict, was arrested on Tuesday after being summoned by the supervising judge of Vakilabad prison in Mashhad and transferred to an unknown location. Khosrow Alikordi, who represents Fatemeh Sepehri, one of the signatories of the letter calling for the resignation of Ali Khamenei, the family of Abolfazl Adinehzadeh, one of the victims of the nationwide protests of 2022 in Mashhad, and several other political prisoners, has been sentenced to one year in prison for the charge of propaganda activities in favor of opposition groups against the Islamic Republic. According to Hrana's report, the conviction of this lawyer was under an open verdict, which means he could spend his days in prison working outside, including in industrial parks, the organization of pastures and forests, and production units, returning to the designated location by the judicial authority at night. Khosrow Alikordi has also been sentenced to two years of exile to the city of Nehbendan, two years of prohibition from leaving the country, two years of deprivation of practicing law, and two years of prohibition from participating in social media as supplementary punishment. Hrana's report does not specify the reason for Mr. Alikordi's arrest and the conversion of his open verdict to imprisonment. The report states that there is currently no information available about Khosrow Alikordi's place of detention.