Amnesty International Calls for Release of Amir Salar Davoudi, Imprisoned Lawyer in Iran
More than two years have passed since Amir Salar Davoudi, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran, was arrested at his office by judicial authorities and transferred to Evin Prison. Amnesty International now states that this lawyer must be “released immediately.”
Amnesty International issued a statement on Thursday, November 19, on its Twitter page condemning Amir Salar Davoudi’s conviction as unjust, stating: “Amir Salar Davoudi is one of the victims of the crackdown on lawyers defending human rights by Iranian authorities in recent years, who is now serving his second year of unjust conviction.”
The human rights organization further emphasized: “He has been punished for defending human rights and must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Tanaz Kalahdchai, Amir Salar Davoudi’s wife, also referenced the two years since her husband’s arrest in a post on her Instagram account: “During these two years, filled with turbulent and difficult days for him, my daughter Airin and I, a girl who misses her father and counts the days in hope of the visitation Wednesdays when she can speak face-to-face with her father and show her affection, have endured many ups and downs and hardships known only to God. What sustains us through these days is hope and steadfastness in the path he believed in—defending rights and speaking the truth without censorship and ‘without retouching.'”
Amir Salar Davoudi, a lawyer handling human rights cases in Iran, has been convicted in two separate cases by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on charges of “insulting authorities and propaganda against the system,” “cooperation with hostile states through interviews with Voice of America,” and “forming a group to overthrow the government” to 30 years in prison and over 100 lashes. According to Islamic Penal Law, 15 years of the prison sentence will be enforceable.
Previously, Voice of America reported, citing Mostafa Turk Hamedani, Amir Salar Davoudi’s lawyer, confirmation of the 30-year prison sentence for this lawyer.
Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Research Director at Amnesty International, had previously reacted to the 30-year prison and 111-lash sentence imposed on Amir Salar Davoudi, a first-class lawyer and member of the Iranian Bar Association, calling it “a shocking harsh sentence and ruthless injustice.”
This imprisoned lawyer in Iran has represented a number of political and ideological prisoners in recent years, including Soheil Arabi. Mr. Davoudi was arrested on November 19, 2018.
International organizations, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, state that the Islamic Republic of Iran violates freedom of speech and restricts media.
Source: Voice of America
