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| Sina Yousefi, Human Rights Lawyer |
In an interview with Voice of America, human rights lawyer Sina Yousefi, currently living in exile, highlighted that the number of human rights lawyers in Iran has drastically decreased due to the policies and restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to Yousefi, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian government gradually implemented policies to limit the activities of lawyers and undermine the independence of the Bar Association.
“The government gradually passed laws that restricted lawyers’ access to court cases. Now, it has reached the point where certain laws have been enacted, particularly regarding security-related charges, which limit the lawyer’s access to case files and the defendant’s access to their lawyer,” Yousefi said.
The lawyer emphasized that, particularly over the past decade, government policies have severely reduced the number of human rights lawyers in Iran:
“If we look at the last 10 years, the government has had a policy or decision to restrict human rights lawyers and prevent them from obtaining files related to security charges. They have pushed this policy forward and passed laws in parliament that have made the situation even worse. For example, two years ago, we could list many human rights lawyers in Azerbaijan and other regions of Iran, but now the number has drastically decreased. The government uses threats and opens court cases against these lawyers to prevent their work.”
Yousefi also pointed out that government-aligned forces have influenced the management of the Bar Association. He noted that despite passing the bar exam, some lawyers in East Azerbaijan have been denied the opportunity to practice due to security agency interference.
“They have placed filters in front of membership in the Bar Association. Many in our Azerbaijan region passed the bar exam, but due to interference from security agencies, they were prevented from receiving their licenses. One example, that has been reported, is Yılmaz Mehralibeyli, who passed the exam but was not granted a license. Many other examples have not been reported,” said the lawyer currently living in exile.
Sina Yousefi added, “The Iranian government systematically represses lawyers in Azerbaijan and other regions. This also affects the nation’s right to defend itself in court. The government wants to be able to judge people without bothersome lawyers who challenge them.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sina Yusufi: İranda hökümətin tətbiq etdiyi məhdudiyyətlər nəticəsində insan haqları vəkillərinin sayı olduqca azalıb