Iranian authorities have arrested the lawyer of two journalists, who were arrested after writing about the death in custody of the moral police of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an episode that triggered a wave of anti-government protests that lasted for 3 months. “Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi, a lawyer for several activists and journalists, has been arrested,” wrote the reformist newspaper Ham Mihan. The arrest brings the number of lawyers detained in connection with the protests to 25, according to the agency. Kamfirouzi’s lawyer, Mohammad Ali Bagherpour, said he was unaware of the allegations leveled against his client. According to Kamfirouzi’s brother, the arrest took place on Wednesday. The judiciary is “responsible for protecting my brother’s life and health,” he warned.
Among Kamfirouzi’s clients are Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, the two journalists arrested after covering Amini’s death and its aftermath. Hamedi, who works for the reformist Shargh newspaper, was arrested on Sept. 20 after visiting the hospital where the 22-year-old spent three days in a coma before dying. Mohammadi, a journalist from Ham Mihan, was arrested on Sept. 29 after traveling to Amini’s hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan Province to report on her funeral. The two reporters were formally charged on November 8 with “propaganda against the state” and “conspiracy against national security”, crimes punishable by death in the Islamic Republic.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Paris-based media watcher, expressed concern over their fate and called for their immediate release. Iran said on Dec. 3 that more than 200 people were killed in the protests – which authorities describe as “riots” fomented by enemies of the Islamic Republic – including dozens of operatives. Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said Iranian security forces had killed at least 469 people in a crackdown on protests, in an updated toll. Thousands of people were arrested because of the protests: 11 were sentenced to death and two, both 23 years old, have already been executed. Iran, meanwhile, has released two teenagers who had been arrested on suspicion of participating in the demonstrations: Amir Hossein Rahimi, 15, and Sonia Sharifi, 17, were both released on Thursday after nearly two months of detention, reported reformist newspapers Etemad and Ham Mihan.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
