According to reports confirmed by Iran Human Rights (IHR), the Iranian lawyer Mohammad Najafi has been sentenced to three years in prison and 74 lashes. Ten other civil activists have also been sentenced to prison and lashes.

According to a close source, during the past few weeks, Mohammad Najafi and 10 other civil activists were sentenced to one to three years in prison and 74 lashes by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Arak.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, said, “The international community should not remain silent about the increasing repression of Iranian lawyers and jurists. It is necessary that the United Nations and the European community react immediately in order for Iranian lawyers to be released, their charges to be dropped, and their professional restrictions be removed. Once again, we urge Bar Associations in the world to express their solidarity with their Iranian counterparts who fight for the right to a fair trial.”

The verdict issued by the Criminal Court of Arak states, “Mohammad Najafi, Ali Baqeri, Abbas Safari, and Kian Sadeqi” are sentenced to two years in prison due to publishing falsehood and disturbing public opinion and to one year in prison and 74 lashes for disturbing public order. The other seven defendants in this case, namely “Behzad Alibakhshi, Mohammad Ya’qubi, Yusef Shiri Lord, Neda Yousefi, Davoud Rahimi, Masoud Ajlou, and Mohammad Torabi”, are each sentenced to one year in prison and 74 lashes for disturbing public order. Moreover, Ali Baqeri has had six months added to his sentence because of insulting the police.

Mohammad Najafi, Ali Baqeri, Abbas Safari, Masoud Ajlou, and Behzad Alibakhshi are also facing another charge but no verdicts have been issued by the Revolutionary Court based on that charge yet.

Mohammad Najafi, attorney at law, was arrested by the security forces at his house on the evening of January 15. He had been investigating the suspicious death of Vahid Heidari, a detainee from the recent protests, in the central Iranian city of Arak.

Mohammad Najafi has been summoned and arrested several times for his professional activities. The last time he was summoned to the court was on November 8, 2017, when he was charged with propaganda against the system.

During the past few months, Iranian lawyers, who play a significant role in Iranian civil society, have been subject to massive repression and currently many lawyers, including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Qasem Sho’le Sa’di, and Arash Keykhosravi”, are held in prison.

Iran Human Rights believes that threatening, arresting, and issuing illegal verdicts against lawyers and enforcing Article 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is discriminatory, increase the risk of less fair trials in Iran; although, the trials are not quite fair now.

Source » iranhr