Payam Darfshan, Lawyer, Sentenced to Prison and Disbarment
Payam Darfshan, a lawyer in Iran, has been sentenced to prison and disbarred by the Revolutionary Court of Karaj.
Saeid Dehghan, Payam Darfshan’s defense lawyer, announced on Saturday, April 9, through a post on Twitter that this lawyer has been sentenced by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj to 2 years in prison and 2 years of disbarment on charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader.”
Mr. Dehghan also shared an image of the court verdict and stated that this ruling was issued against the lawyer despite the fact that he was not allowed to review his client’s case file before the trial and the verdict was issued.
According to the court verdict, this ruling is not final and can be appealed to the Court of Appeal of Alborz Province within 20 days.
Payam Darfshan, who has previously represented many political prisoners and civil activists, including Vida Movahed, one of the protesters against mandatory hijab in Iran, was arrested on September 30, 2018, at the residence of Arash Keykhosravi, a lawyer and client. He was later released after posting bail.
This is not the first time a lawyer has been sentenced to prison. Voice of America had previously reported that Sohila Hejab, a lawyer and civil activist from Kermanshah, was sentenced by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Moghisseh, to a total of 18 years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the system,” “assembly and collusion,” “disturbing public opinion with intent to cause unrest,” “forming a group in pursuit of women’s rights,” and “demanding a referendum and change to the constitution.”
Amnesty International stated in its annual report on human rights that the authorities of the Islamic Republic “severely” suppressed Iranians’ “right to freedom of expression, association and assembly” in 2019.
International organizations, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, say that the Islamic Republic of Iran violates freedom of expression and restricts the media.
Source: Voice of America
