Call to End Persecution: Urgent Call to Iranian Authorities Regarding Lawyers

On the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, two UN experts have urged Iranian authorities to stop persecuting lawyers. Despite facing challenges, these legal professionals in Iran have bravely upheld the rule of law and practiced independently, as noted by the experts.

Since the nationwide protests in September 2022, at least 66 lawyers have been arrested. The experts said in their statement that this is an attempt to intimidate and stop them from representing protestors. Out of these, 11 lawyers have been sentenced, and 47 are awaiting trial after being released.

Lawyers who support protesters in Iran are facing Many problems like being harassed, threatened , making them scared and even losing their licenses. The UN experts who look at human rights in Iran and at judges and lawyers are worried about this situation, which is happening 

These experts are also concerned that lawyers are being treated badly before their trials, having unfair trials, long times in prison, being mistreated, not getting medical help, and being kept alone in jail. All of this is happening just because they are doing their jobs or speaking up for human rights.

They say that in Iran, lawyers have to work with lots of rules that don’t follow the international standards for being a lawyer and having a fair trial.

So, the UN experts are asking the leaders of Iran to do something about this. They want the country to make sure that lawyers can do their jobs without being scared of getting in trouble.

The experts say that it’s important to follow the rules and be fair to protect the rights of lawyers in Iran. The UN experts are telling the leaders of Iran to do something about it.  They really stress the need to respect the professional duties, standards, and ethics of the lawyers to keep them safe and let them work properly.