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| Lawyer and human rights activist Sina Yusufi |
In an interview with VOA Persian, human rights lawyer Sina Yousefi discussed the pressures faced by lawyers supporting citizens detained in connection with the months-long protests in Iran. He noted that lawyers defending individuals charged with political and security-related offenses have always been subject to pressure.
According to Yousefi, since the establishment of the Human Rights Commission of the bar association, the commission has focused on human rights issues in Iranian Azerbaijan, including the defense of political prisoners and environmental matters:
“In Tabriz, in Azerbaijan, political activity is substantial, and the [government’s] security-focused approach prevails. This results in political prisoners. Therefore, the Human Rights Commission typically becomes involved in these issues. Not just in court cases, but the commission often issues statements or uses media to address these topics and support human rights activists. It has also engaged in environmental issues, such as matters related to Lake Urmia or air pollution. During the recent protests, the commission issued a statement calling for the dissolution of the Guidance Patrols [forces enforcing hijab rules]. Following that, pressure on the bar association, and especially the Human Rights Commission, began.”
Yousefi revealed that on October 12, the bar association had organized a “defense committee” to support those detained in connection with mass protests, adding that by that date, over 1,700 individuals had been detained in Tabriz alone. Following this announcement, Yousefi was detained and, after his release, sentenced to six months in prison, a two-year travel ban, and confiscation of his electronic devices.
“The number of detainees exceeded 1,700. In the Human Rights Commission, we held a meeting and proposed the establishment of a defense committee. It was discussed that colleagues would coordinate in addressing these cases. We wanted to create a mechanism for families reaching out to lawyers' offices or the bar association to find out where their children were detained,” Yousefi explained.
Three days after this meeting, Sina Yousefi was detained and sentenced on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
Yousefi added that another case has been initiated in the prosecutor’s office, accusing him of forming an “illegal group to support riots.” This case is ongoing.
In addition to Yousefi, three other lawyers were detained and sentenced. Furthermore, disciplinary actions have been initiated against dozens of lawyers.
“With the protests, many colleagues expressed their support for the public online. They shared posts. Some also announced their readiness to defend detainees in court for free. Besides me, three other lawyers were arrested for expressing support online: Mr. Bodi, Mr. Mehdipur, and Ms. Kiyani. However, the judiciary’s intelligence unit realized that if they wanted to arrest everyone, they would have to detain over a hundred lawyers. So, they prepared a list and sent it to the bar association. To my knowledge, the initial list included 52 names. Additional names were later added. As of now, there are about 72 names on the list, with instructions to take action against them,” Yousefi said.
He believes that penalizing lawyers through the bar association is a significant blow to the independence of the organization.
According to Yousefi, this is not the first time that lawyers defending activists charged with political and security offenses have been subjected to pressure.
“Lawyers working on political and security cases have always faced restrictions and pressure. This isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed such pressures. I have been summoned to the judiciary’s intelligence unit before,” the human rights lawyer added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sina Yusufi: İran məhkəmələrində siyasi fəalları müdafiə edən vəkillər hər zaman hökümətin basqısı ilə üzləşiblər