Pressure on independent lawyers in Iran continues; Islamic Republic creates new institution to oversee lawyers

In continuation of the pressure on independent lawyers in Iran, unofficial reports indicate that the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic has issued a circular to monitor the behavior of lawyers and has established an institution called the "General Directorate for Supervision of Lawyers."

According to a circular published on social media by some lawyers, the Legal Assistant of the Judiciary has sent a circular to Iranian courts, according to which supervision such as "observance of Islamic standards, hijab, commitment to the authority of the jurist and the system of the Islamic Republic, and observance of hijab... in the courtroom and cyberspace" is to be carried out.

The issuance of this circular has been met with protests from many independent lawyers on social media. One of these lawyers, referring to the “pressures” they are under to practice law, believes that the issuance of this circular is not a trade union issue but a “vital issue for everyone.”

Another lawyer wrote in a tweet addressed to civil and political activists that independent lawyers have been "by your side for years, and despite the career and professional costs that defending political and human rights cases has cost them, they have defended you solely out of belief in the fundamental principles of human rights, including the right to defense and a fair trial."

The authorities of the Islamic Republic have arrested or sentenced a number of lawyers to prison over the past years. Soheila Hijab, a lawyer and civil activist who was previously sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards of Tehran on Saturday, June 23, after she went to the Tehran Court of Appeals and received confirmation of her 18-year prison sentence, and was transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin.

Also, Payam Darfashan and Farrokh Forouzan, attorneys, were sentenced to a total of two years in prison by the Alborz Provincial Court of Appeal in June of this year.

International organizations, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is violating freedom of expression and restricting the media.

The United States has also repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters and civil activists, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens, including the right to freedom of expression and civil liberties, by the ruling regime in that country.

Source: Voice of America