Iran: Three Rights Lawyers Sentenced to Lengthy Jail Terms in Less Than a Year
Iran: Three Rights Lawyers Sentenced to Lengthy Jail Terms in Less Than a Year
Amirsalar Davoudi has become the third known defense attorney to be sent to prison in Iran for his peaceful activities in less than a year, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today.
On June 1, 2019, his wife Tannaz Kolahchian tweeted that Davoudi had been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the content of his social media posts, 15 years of which he must serve according to Article 134 of the country’s Islamic Penal Code (subject to appeal).
“Davoudi’s sentence is another example of the judiciary and security establishment’s egregious assault on the legal profession and due process rights in Iran,” said CHRI’s Executive Director Hadi Ghaemi.
“Lawyers are a lifeline for people targeted by the state for political reasons,” he added. “Preventing them from doing their jobs leaves activists, journalists, dissidents and other critics of the state defenseless in a repressive system.”
Davoudi was convicted of four charges: “collaborating with an enemy state through interviews,” “propaganda against the state,” “insulting officials,” and “forming a group to overthrow the state.”
His 15-year sentence is based on the fourth charge.
The “group” is a reference to the “Without Retouch” Telegram messaging app channel, on which Davoudi posted his views about political and social affairs as well as items related to civil rights issues in the country.
On June 2, Davoudi’s lawyer Vahid Meshgani Farahani stated in an interview that Davoudi was also sentenced to pay a fine of 60 million rials and abstain from social media activities for two years.
The exact date of Davoudi’s sentencing, issued at branch 15 of the revolutionary court in Tehran, has not been announced.
On June 4, his wife tweeted that her husband had finally been moved to a public ward in Evin Prison after spending “190 days” in solitary confinement.
Agents of the judiciary’s security and intelligence center had arrested Davoudi on November 20, 2018.
Kolahchian also stated that her husband has “decided not to object to the verdict.”
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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights