Joint Statement condemning Denial of Access to Legal Representation in Iran and the Arrest of Lawyers

Joint Statement condemning Denial of Access to Legal Representation in Iran and the Arrest of Lawyers

We, the undersigned organisations and members of the international legal community, express our grave concern regarding the systematic denial of access to legal representation for protesters arrested in Iran, as well as the arbitrary arrest and detention of lawyers for the legitimate exercise of their professional duties in connection with the recent and ongoing uprising. We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately end these practices, ensure full and unhindered access to legal counsel for all detainees, and release all lawyers detained solely for carrying out their professional responsibilities. These practices represent grave violations of Iran’s international human rights obligations and a direct assault on the foundations of the rule of law. These violations take place against a broader backdrop of grave and systematic human rights violations in Iran, in which lawyers have been specifically targeted for their role in defending fundamental rights.

Since the outbreak of nationwide protests, thousands of individuals in Iran have been arbitrarily arrested and detained. Credible reports indicate that many detainees have been denied timely and effective access to lawyers of their choosing, particularly during the critical initial stages of detention and interrogation. In numerous cases, families have been left without information regarding the whereabouts or legal status of their detained relatives.

Access to legal counsel from the moment of arrest is a fundamental safeguard against torture, ill-treatment, forced confessions, and other serious violations of due process. This right is enshrined in international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a State Party, as well as the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

We are further alarmed by reports that lawyers in Iran who have sought to represent protesters or document violations of due process have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, prosecution, arrest, or threat of arrest in connection with their professional activities, underscoring concerns that the legal profession is operating under sustained threat.

According to information received, the following lawyers have been arrested in recent weeks, after stating that they intend to defend the rights of detainees or after making public statements. It is possible that additional cases remain undocumented due to restrictions on access to information:

  1. Shima Ghoosheh[1], arrested on Saturday 27 Dey 1404 (17 January 2026), currently detained in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
  2. Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour[2], arrested on Sunday 28 Dey 1404 (18 January 2026), released on bail on 14 Bahman 1404 (3 February 2026), after posting bail in the amount of five billion tomans (~31,833 USD). Charges: “Assembly and collusion against national security”, “propaganda against the state”, “dissemination of false information”.
  3. Enayatollah Karamati[3], arrested on Saturday 20 Dey 1404 (10 January 2026), currently detained in Vakil-Abad Prison in Mashhad.

Additional arrests have been reported involving lawyers whose charges, reasons for arrest, and places of detention remain unknown, including:

  1. Nazanin Baradaran, a lawyer and member of Fars Bar Association, arrested on 26 Dey 1404 (16 January 2026).
  2. Hossein Shokri, lawyer and member of the Judiciary’s Legal Advisors Centre in Ilam Province, arrested on 5 Bahman 1404 (25 January 2026) in Eyvan County, Ilam Province and released on bail on 31 January 2026.
  3. Mehdi Ansari, a lawyer and member of Fars Bar Association, arrested on 8 Bahman 1404 (28 January 2026) and released on bail on 14 Bahman 1404 (3 February 2026), after posting bail. The amount has not been confirmed.
  4. Mehran Ansari, lawyer and member of Fars Bar Association, arrested on 8 Bahman 1404 (28 January 2026).
  5. Ja’far Keshavarz, lawyer and member of Fars Bar Association, arrested on 8 Bahman 1404 (28 January 2026).
  6. Ja’far Zarei, lawyer and member of Fars Bar Association, arrested on 8 Bahman 1404 (28 January 2026) and released on bail on 15 Bahman 1404 (4 February 2026). The amount of bail has not been confirmed.
  7. Zohreh Javani, lawyer and member of Central Bar Association, arrested but exact date is yet to be confirmed.
  8. Sepideh Taheri, a member of the Hormozgan Bar Association, arrested in Shiraz. She was summoned to the Shiraz Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday, 12 Bahman 1404 (1 February 2026), and was subsequently arrested there. The charges against her are “propaganda against the regime” and “spreading false information”.
  9. Teymour Salari, a lawyer and member of the Hormozgan Bar Association, arrested on 21 Dey 1404 (11 January 2026) in the city of Jiroft. Since that date, he has been held in Jiroft Prison without the right to make contact or communicate with his family. At present, there is no information available regarding the charges or the reason for his arrest.
  10. Alireza Farzaneh Jajroomi, a lawyer and member of the Khuzestan Bar Association, arrested on 19 Dey 1404 (9 January 2026) in the city of Ahvaz. At present, no information is available regarding the charges, the reason for his arrest, or his place of detention.
  11. Amir Bahadorifar, lawyer and member of the Khorasan Bar Association, detained since 20 Dey 1404 (10 January 2026) in Mashhad. No information is available regarding the charges, the reason for his arrest, or his place of detention.
  12. Mohsen Darginezhad, lawyer and member of the Khorasan Bar Association, detained since 20 Dey 1404 (10 January 2026) in Mashhad. No information is available regarding the charges, the reason for his arrest, or his place of detention.
  13. ​​Dariush Ganjeh-Pour Qashqaei, a trainee lawyer and a member of the Fars Bar Association, arrested in the city of Shiraz, The date of arrest and the charges are not yet known.

Furthermore, we are gravely concerned about the fate of Masoud Shirmardi Shahghasemi, a lawyer and member of the Central Bar Association, arrested on 19 Dey 1404 (9 January 2026) on Larestan Street in Tehran and transferred to the detention ward of Evin Prison. He has been denied access to a lawyer. During his detention, he has reportedly been subjected to severe beatings and torture, and has not been allowed to receive medical treatment or see a doctor for his injuries. His physical health is therefore at serious risk. At present, there is no information available regarding the charges or the reason for his arrest.

These arrests constitute alleged reprisals for the legitimate professional and human rights activities of lawyers and form part of a broader pattern of intimidation and criminalisation of members of the legal profession who uphold human rights and the rule of law in Iran. This pattern occurs in the context of longstanding and increasingly restrictive state policies aimed at undermining lawyers’ independence and obstructing access to legal representation, particularly during periods of unrest[4]. This pattern predates the current uprising and has, in some cases, had lethal consequences, as illustrated by the death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi under suspicious circumstances on 4 December 2025, despite repeated international warnings regarding his situation[5].

We, therefore, call on the Iranian authorities, in line with their obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, notably articles 9 and 14), the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (principles 1, 8, 16, 18–23), and the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (principles 2, 6–11), to:

  1. Immediately ensure full, unhindered, and effective access to legal representation for all individuals detained in relation to the protests, from the moment of arrest and throughout all stages of detention and proceedings.
  2. Guarantee the right of detainees to freely choose their own lawyers and to communicate with them promptly, confidentially, and without interference, including during interrogation.
  3. Cease all forms of harassment, intimidation, prosecution, and reprisals against lawyers for the lawful exercise of their professional duties, including the defence of protesters and the documentation of due process violations.
  4. Immediately release all lawyers detained solely for carrying out their professional responsibilities, and ensure their physical and psychological integrity.
  5. Repeal or amend laws, policies, and practices that undermine the independence of the legal profession, and bring domestic laws and practice into full compliance with Iran’s international human rights obligations, including fair trial guarantees and the right to an independent legal profession.

We also call on the United Nations, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, to actively follow up on cases of detained, persecuted, and killed lawyers, and to take appropriate measures within their respective mandates.

The international legal community stands in solidarity with lawyers in Iran who continue to defend fundamental rights and the rule of law under conditions of severe repression.

 

Signatories:

  • The Centre for Supporters of Human Rights (CSHR)
  • International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk (OIAD)
  • Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (Conseil des Barreaux Européens, CCBE)
  • Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)
  • Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC)
  • International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L)
  • Alliance for Lawyers at Risk
  • European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH)

 

[1] Shima Ghoosheh – OIAD

[2] Mohammad-Hadi Ja’farpour – OIAD

[3] Enayatollah Karamati – OIAD

[4] Centre for Supporters of Human Rights & International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. (2025, November). No defence: The status of lawyers and the bar associations in Iran: Challenges and recommendations

[5] Khosrow Alikordi – OIAD

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