The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) is concerned about the systematic erosion of the independence of Iran’s legal profession and persecution of its human rights lawyers. Citing the conviction and sentencing of lawyer Mohammad Reza Faghihi as a recent example of a pattern of intimidation, the IBAHRI calls for the dismissal of all charges against Mr Faghihi, his unconditional release from prison, and the revocation of all other sentences.

On 7 October 2024, Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court reportedly sentenced Mr Faghihi to five years in prison and a two-year ban from practicing law, traveling and joining political organisations after he was found guilty of ‘assembly and collusion with the intention to act against national security.’ The accusations were made against Mr Faghihi for taking part in a legal and nonviolent protest on 12 October 2022, organised by the Tehran Bar Association in support of lawyers’ rights and in opposition of the spate of arbitrary arrests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini. Ms Amini’s demise while she was in the custody of Tehran's religious ‘morality’ police sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.

In January 2025, Mr Faghihi began the five-year prison sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran.

IBAHRI Co-Chair, Mark Stephens CBE commented: ‘The IBAHRI is deeply concerned by the systematic erosion of due process guarantees and independence of the legal profession in Iran. The conviction and sentencing of Mohammad Reza Faghihi confirm a deplorable pattern of repression targeting the country’s human rights lawyers. The IBAHRI calls for all charges against Mr Faghihi to be dropped and for him to be released immediately from prison. His jailing is a grave injustice and highlights the perilous environment facing legal professionals in Iran. It is also a blatant violation of international law. We remind Iran’s authorities that as a signatory to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iran is bound to respect fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, association or assembly, protection from arbitrary arrest and the right to a fair trial.’

In 2015, Article 48 of Iran’s Criminal Procedure Code was amended to restrict defendants accused of political or ideological offences from selecting their own lawyer. These defendants are limited to selecting lawyers only from a government-approved list. Additionally, the Iranian Parliament approved reforms in 2023 that gave the Head of the Judiciary, the Ministry of Intelligence and the intelligence services of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ the authority to scrutinise the Iran Central Bar Association’s operations as well as lawyers’ ‘judicial credentials’; effectively giving them complete control over which lawyers are permitted to practice.

IBAHRI Co-Chair, Hina Jilani stated: ‘The detention and sentencing of lawyers like Mr Faghihi, as well as the restriction of their access to legal representation, not only violates their human rights it also jeopardises the functioning of Iran’s entire justice system. We condemn these actions in the strongest terms. They contravene the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which guarantee lawyers the right to practice without intimidation or improper interference. The number of lawyers detained and imprisoned in Iran for exercising their fundamental rights and carrying out their professional duties is deeply alarming. The IBAHRI calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained lawyers; an end to all interference of the Iranian Bar Association; and repeal of the amendment made to Article 48 of Iran’s Criminal Code of Procedure so that all defendants can engage a lawyer of their own choosing.’

ENDS

Contact: IBAHRI@int-bar.org

Notes to the Editor

1. Related material:
   • IBAHRI condemns the ‘Chastity and Hijab’ law in Iran and calls for sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard leadership
   • New Publication: The Gender Apartheid Inquiry Report into the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran
   • Iran: IBAHRI condemns death of Mahsa Amini while in custody for not wearing a headscarf

2. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), established in 1995 under Founding Honorary President Nelson Mandela, is an autonomous and financially independent entity, working to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.

3. Find the IBAHRI (@IBAHRI) on social media here:
   • x.com/IBAHRI
   • facebook.com/IBAhumanrights
   • linkedin.com/in/iba-human-rights-institute

4. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.

5. Find the IBA (@IBAnews) on social media here:
   • x.com/IBAnews
   • x.com/IBAevents
   • x.com/IBAHagueOffice
   • facebook.com/internationalbarassociation
   • linkedin.com/company/international-bar-association

Website page link for this news release:

Short link: tinyurl.com/4s6jxmbf
Full link: www.ibanet.org/Iran-IBAHRI-is-concerned-at-crackdown-on-human-rights-lawyers-and-calls-for-release-of-Mohammad-Reza-Faghihi