Iran arrests lawyer who criticized regime’s crackdown on women’s rights protests
Day after reformist wins presidency, Mohsen Borhani is held following his support for 2022 demonstrations sparked by death of Mahsa Amini
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates —An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests has been arrested, state media reported Sunday.
The unrest at the time followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was detained by the police for allegedly not properly wearing her mandatory hijab.
United Nations investigators said Iran is responsible for the physical violence that led to her death, which triggered massive protests that quickly escalated into calls to overthrow Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy.
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Sunday that Mohsen Borhani had been previously sentenced but did not give further details on his case or jail time issued.
Borhani, also a university professor, became popular on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 demonstrations that shook the Islamic Republic and sparked a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.
The arrest came a day after reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian was elected to lead the country.
Mohsen Borhani, Iranian lawyer and supporter of President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has been arrested according to Vokalapress website, a specialized news platform focusing on the legal profession of judicial lawyers in Iran.
During a speech during Pezeshkian’s campaign, Borhani… pic.twitter.com/HmZGQ4gKlO— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 7, 2024
Pezeshkian promised to ease enforcement of the country’s mandatory headscarf law and reach out to the West after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
