European Bar Association calls for release of imprisoned lawyers in Iran

The European Bar Association has published a letter addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, calling for the release of imprisoned lawyers in Iran.

The European Bar Association, which represents more than one million lawyers in 45 European countries, issued this letter on Friday, April 19, referring to the situation of the coronavirus outbreak and its spread in Iranian prisons, calling on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to release lawyers imprisoned in Iran who have been imprisoned for peaceful activities and whose lives are currently in danger.

This group of lawyers, concerned about the situation of prison lawyers in Iran with the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19 disease and the news published in recent days regarding the infection of some prisoners in Iranian prisons, especially Evin Prison, have announced that, based on these reports, the situation of prisoners in Iranian prisons is worrying.

The letter also mentions Nasrin Sotoudeh, Abdolfattah Soltani, Mohammad Najafi, and Amirsalar Davoudi, four imprisoned lawyers in Iran who received the 2019 Human Rights Award from the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe in December last year, and states that these lawyers have been punished solely for their activities as lawyers.

At the end of this letter, these lawyers asked Hassan Rouhani to do everything in his power to protect the health and safety of all lawyers who are deprived of their freedom in Iran by releasing them; they also asked him to take all necessary measures to ensure that lawyers can perform their professional duties without fear or intimidation in Iran.

Also today, 12 UN rapporteurs and experts issued a statement, citing the latest statistics from Iranian Ministry of Health officials regarding the death of one person every ten minutes due to the coronavirus, calling on the Islamic Republic's authorities to immediately and unconditionally release prisoners of conscience and dual nationals who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 in Iranian prisons.

Previously, Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh's husband, has also announced that "the judiciary continues to prevent the release of political prisoners," and that many families are currently wandering between the meeting hall, the prosecutor's office, and their homes, despite the risk of contracting the coronavirus.