Iran detains outspoken lawyer who called for free elections
Ghasem Sholeh-Saadi, a former lawmaker who was banned from running in 2017 presidential elections, planned a sit-in protest outside parliament
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian media reported that authorities detained a human rights lawyer who planned a sit-in protest in front of parliament.
The Sunday report by the daily Arman said police detained Ghasem Sholeh-Saadi after he appeared outside parliament on Saturday in an “illegal gathering.”
A day earlier and on his Instagram account, Sholeh-Saadi posted that he will stage a sit-in protest in front of parliament to demand free elections.
Sholeh-Saadi, 64 and a former Iranian lawmaker in late 1980s, was taken to a police station.
Famous for his criticism of the establishment, Sholeh-Saadi was barred from running in the presidential elections in 2017.
A 12-member constitutional watchdog, half of them clerics, vets all nominees intending to run for parliamentary and presidential elections.
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