At Least 43 Lawyers Arrested During Iran Protests: Activists

A volunteer committee following the situation of detainees in Iran says security forces have arrested at least 43 lawyers since the beginning of protests in September.

According to the committee, only 20 lawyers have been released so far and some of them have been freed temporarily and on bail.

Reports say sentences have been issued for at least two solicitors. Sina Yousefi, Vice-Chairman of the East Azarbaijan Lawyers' Human Rights Commission is sentenced to six months in prison and a two-year ban on leaving the country. Negin Kiani, has also been sentenced to one year in prison and a ban on leaving the country.

After the start of nationwide protests and arrest of thousands of protesters, several lawyers announced they would represent the detainees for free.

In early November, forty Iranian lawyers issued a statement saying most people no longer want the Islamic Republic and called on their peers to speak up and defend the people.

Referring to Supreme Leader’s autocratic ruling system, the Iranian lawyers strongly criticized the absolute rule of a cleric, stating “the legitimacy of any law depends on public will and consent, and no one has the right to decide for them.”

Absolute Guardianship of a jurist or Velayat-e Faqih is a system of governance that has underpinned the way Iran operates since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. At its most basic, the theory, which is rooted in Shia Islam, justifies the rule of the clergy over the state.