Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of Amir Salar Davoudi, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran
Amnesty International issued an appeal calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Amir Salar Davoudi, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran.
On Tuesday, February 19, Amnesty International issued this call, calling on people and human rights activists around the world to write a letter to Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the judiciary, demanding the release of this lawyer.
The human rights organization called on people and activists to respond to the release of Amir Salar Davoudi with their words and pens, inspired by this call, and to urge Iranian authorities to ensure that the imprisoned lawyer, who is in prison for his human rights activities, is in regular contact with his family members until his release.
This human rights organization also called on the head of the Iranian judiciary to stop the harassment and pressure on defense lawyers and to allow this lawyer to benefit from the company of his chosen lawyer or the lawyer he has appointed until his release.
It should be noted that Amirsalar Davoudi, a lawyer at a courthouse and a member of the Central Bar Association, who had been on a hunger strike since February 10 in protest against the lack of leave granted by judicial authorities after 15 months of detention, announced in a letter on Wednesday, February 20, that he had ended his strike after 11 days.
In another part of this call, Amnesty International called for this imprisoned lawyer to receive adequate medical services in accordance with medical ethics and informed consent.
In this call, this human rights organization called on people and human rights activists around the world to demand that Ebrahim Raisi ensure that the Iranian judicial system stops harassing and pressuring human rights lawyers and refrains from filing criminal charges or any other proceedings against them.
Amir Salar Davoudi, who has represented a number of political and ideological prisoners, including Soheil Arabi, in recent years, was arrested on November 10th of last year when judicial officers visited his office and transferred him to Evin Prison.
This lawyer has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in two separate cases on charges of "insulting officials and propagandizing against the regime," "collaborating with hostile governments through an interview with the Voice of America television network," and "forming a group for subversion," of which 15 years will be enforced according to the Islamic Penal Code.
Previously, Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Research Director, reacted to the 30-year prison sentence and 111 lashes handed down to Amir Salar Davoudi, a lawyer at a courthouse and member of the Center's Bar Association, saying: "This is a shockingly harsh sentence and a cruel injustice."
Amnesty International has announced in its latest annual report on the state of human rights that the authorities of the Islamic Republic "severely" suppressed the "rights of freedom of expression, association and assembly" of the Iranian people in 2019.
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.
Source: Voice of America
