IRAN: Arbitrary detention of lawyer and human rights advocate Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour
26 January 2026
The International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk (OIAD) expresses its serious concern over the arbitrary detention of Mr Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour, a lawyer and human rights advocate, and a member of the Fars Bar Association in Iran. His arrest and subsequent treatment reflect an alarming escalation in the targeting of independent lawyers amid the ongoing nationwide uprising and the authorities’ intensified crackdown on civil society.
Mr Ja’farpour, a practising lawyer and member of the Human Rights Commission of the Fars Bar Association, was arrested on Sunday 28 Dey 1404 (18 January 2026) at his private residence in Shiraz by security forces. He has since been placed in temporary detention.
Since his arrest, Mr Ja’farpour has been allowed only one phone call with his family, during which he informed them that he had been transferred to Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz. No further information regarding his situation or the legal basis for his detention has been made available.Given reports documenting cases of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in several prisons in Iran[1], the Observatory expresses serious concern about his state of health and the conditions of detention to which he may be subjected.
The Observatory is particularly alarmed by reports that, despite repeated attempts by several lawyers to formally represent him, the investigating judge has refused to accept powers of attorney in Mr Ja’farpour’s case. This refusal constitutes a serious breach of the right to defence and raises grave concerns regarding the fairness and legality of the proceedings.
To date, the authorities have failed to disclose the charges brought against Mr Ja’farpour or the reasons for his arrest. He has been denied effective access to legal counsel of his choice and is being held in conditions that amount to incommunicado detention.
Such practices violate Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), in particular Articles 9 and 14, which guarantee the right to liberty, protection against arbitrary detention, and the right to a fair trial, including access to legal representation.
Mr Ja’farpour is known for his professional engagement in the promotion and protection of human rights through his work as a lawyer and as a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Fars Bar Association. The Observatory fears that his arrest constitutes a reprisal for his legitimate professional and human rights activities, and forms part of a broader pattern of intimidation and criminalisation of lawyers who uphold human rights and the rule of law in Iran.
In the context of the ongoing protests, Iranian authorities have increasingly sought to undermine access to justice by targeting lawyers, denying them the right to represent detainees, and subjecting them to arbitrary arrest under vague and undisclosed charges.These practices, aimed at silencing legal defence and obstructing effective access to justice, are not a new phenomenon, as documented in the recent report No Defence: The Status of Lawyers and the Bar Associations in Iran.
The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Mr Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour and the authorities’ refusal to allow him access to legal counsel.
The Observatory recalls Article 16 of UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (Havana Principles) and calls on the Iranian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Mr Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour.
- Immediately disclose the legal basis for his arrest and any charges brought against him.
- Ensure his physical and psychological integrity and protect him from ill-treatment.
- Guarantee his immediate and confidential access to a lawyer of his choice and allow lawyers to freely exercise their mandate in his case.
- Ensure regular communication with his family.
- Guarantee that any legal proceedings fully comply with international fair trial standards and the presumption of innocence.
- End the harassment, intimidation, and persecution of lawyers and human rights defenders in Iran.
The Observatory calls on the international community to:
- Urgently raise Mr Ja’farpour’s case with the Iranian authorities.
- Closely monitor his situation and publicly condemn violations of lawyers’ rights in Iran.
- Provide protection and solidarity to Iranian lawyers and human rights defenders at risk.
