Iran: Arrests of three more lawyers

Iranian authorities arrested another three lawyers yesterday as they returned to Iran from Turkey. Sara Sabbaghian, Maryam Kianersi and Maryam Karbasi were arrested at Imam Khomeini Airport on unspecified charges, Majzoban-e Noor website reported.

Sabbaghian is said to be involved in the defence of detained Iranian blogger, Hossein Ronaghi and Kinaersi was on the defence team of Kobra Najjar who was saved from a death by stoning sentence two years ago.

The arrest of these lawyers appears to be the latest chapter in the crackdown on dissent in the Islamic Republic which has retaliated against the widespread allegations of fraud in the elections by arresting reformist figures, journalists, protesting citizens as well as their defence attorneys.

The three recently detained lawyers were amongst the signatories of an open letter in September that called for the release of another detained human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Sotoudeh was the defence attorney for some of the numerous activists that are being tried on charges of fomenting unrest after the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.

Sotoudeh is charged with “activities against national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike in protest to her treatment in prison and the legal proceedings against her.

Most recently Mohammad Seyfzadeh, another attorney and member of the Iran’s Human Rights Defenders Centre was sentenced to nine years in prison and ten years ban from practicing law.

Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace laureate issued a joint statement with International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran to call for an end on the systematic attacks on Iranian human rights activists and lawyers.

November 14