IRAN: The OIAD, together with other lawyers' associations, takes action in favour of Iranian lawyers and denounces the situation at the United Nations.

On 24th November, on the occasion of the Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a joint statement by lawyers’ associations, including the OIAD, was distributed by lawyers in robe at the “place des nations” in Geneva. The statement was also delivered to the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.

This joint statement has been issued to help secure immediate, coordinated, multi-sectoral action on legal independence in Iran to guarantee lawyers practice their profession without fear of repression or persecution

The Observatory, together with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Union Internationale des Avocats, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, ASF Suisse, and Lawyers for Lawyers call on the Islamic Republic of Iran and its agencies to protect, promote, and support the following basic rights: 1) the independence of the legal profession; 2) the principle of lawyer-client confidentiality; 3) the right to have access to a legal representative; 4) the right to prepare a defence.

The joint statement signed by the above organisations reflects our alarm over state repression of protests and the practices established by the regime that restrict and violate the independence of lawyers and judges. Since the start of the nation-wide unrest, more than 430 human rights defenders have been arrested, including at least 22 lawyers.