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Repeal Nine Year Prison Sentence For Iranian Human Right Lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah
Published by John S. Burke on Jul 04, 2011
259 Signatures 
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Target: Ahmed Shaheed, UN, UNHCHR, State Department, EU, Navi Pillay, Ban Ki-Moon, European Parliament
Region: GLOBAL
Web site: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=11437
Background (Preamble):
July 4, 2011--Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, the spokesperson for the Human Rights Defenders’ Committee, stated that he has been sentenced to a 10 year ban on the practice of law, 8 years in prison for plotting a soft revolution, one year of imprisonment for anti-regime propaganda, lashes and a monetary fine.
According to the Human Rights House of Iran, Dadkhah is the spokesman and one of the founders of the Human Rights Defenders’ Committee.
Another prominent attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh has also received an 11 year prison sentence, a 20 year ban on exiting the country, and a 20 year ban on the practice of law.
The semi-official ISNA news agency reported Monday that Mohammad Ali Dadkhah has also been sentenced to pay the equivalent of $300 dollars for possessing a satellite TV receiver in his apartment. Dadkhah says he will appeal.
The lawyer represented activists and opposition supporters arrested after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.
Gonabadi Dervishes Hosseineyeh Ershad incident, the case of attorney Abdolfatah Soltani and the case of the Religious-Nationalist activists.
He also had a prominent role in the Savand dam case and the Jahan Nama towers in Naghshband square in Esfahan.
He also defended many of the university students cases, including the following:
1- The case of 3 students of Amir Kabir university, where, because of his continuous pursuit of the case while very close to obtaining acquittal for his clients, against the Iranian Judiciary laws and international laws he was barred from seeing his clients.
2- The case of three young men charged with insulting the Supreme Leader. This case lasted for five years and ended up in an acquittal of his clients.
3- The case of Zanjan University students, Sorna Hashemi and Alireza Firouzi, who were arrested after a sit-in protest at the university about an attempted rape of one of the female students by the then Deputy Chancellor of Zanjan university Dr. Hassan Maddadi.
4- The case of pastor Nadarkhani who was charged with apostasy.
On 8 July 2009, Mohamad Ali Dadkhah was arrested at his office along with his wife Maliheh Dadkhah, Sara Sabaghiyan, Bahareh Davlou and Amir Raeisian.
On 4 July 2011 he was sentenced to nine years in prison and barred from working as an attorney for 10 years. Speaking about his sentence then, Dadkhah stated, “I have been sentenced to a 10 year ban on the practice of law, eight years in prison for plotting a soft war for the purpose of overthrowing the regime and by being the spoke person for the Defenders of the Human Rights Center, and an additional one year in prison for propagating against the system and the Islamic Republic. I was also sentenced to flogging and a monetary fine.”
UPDATE May 3, 2012:
On April 28, 2012, Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a human rights lawyer and founding member of the DHRC, was informed by Judge Salavati of Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolution Court, as the former was attempting to represent a political prisoner, that his nine-year imprisonment sentence and his 10-year ban on practising law and teaching had been upheld on appeal. In the past, he has defended many political and student activists and unionists as well as the Christian Pastor Mr. Yousef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death on charge of apostasy.
According to the e-daily Roozonline, Mr. Dadkhah declared on May 1, 2012 that he has to report himself to prison on May 5 to serve his nine-year sentence. He added that “They have banned me from practising law for 10 years and also from teaching even in private institutes after my prison term. My sentence includes a cash fine of 25 million rials and lashing, which has also been substituted with a cash fine”. Besides, he declared that he rejected opportunities to leave Iran and said: “I will go to prison; I will not leave my land even if I die in prison”. Today, Mr. Dadkhah is at risk of imminent arrest.
Persian Article:
http://www.rahana.org/archives/42264
According to the Human Rights House of Iran, Dadkhah is the spokesman and one of the founders of the Human Rights Defenders’ Committee.
Another prominent attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh has also received an 11 year prison sentence, a 20 year ban on exiting the country, and a 20 year ban on the practice of law.
The semi-official ISNA news agency reported Monday that Mohammad Ali Dadkhah has also been sentenced to pay the equivalent of $300 dollars for possessing a satellite TV receiver in his apartment. Dadkhah says he will appeal.
The lawyer represented activists and opposition supporters arrested after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.
Gonabadi Dervishes Hosseineyeh Ershad incident, the case of attorney Abdolfatah Soltani and the case of the Religious-Nationalist activists.
He also had a prominent role in the Savand dam case and the Jahan Nama towers in Naghshband square in Esfahan.
He also defended many of the university students cases, including the following:
1- The case of 3 students of Amir Kabir university, where, because of his continuous pursuit of the case while very close to obtaining acquittal for his clients, against the Iranian Judiciary laws and international laws he was barred from seeing his clients.
2- The case of three young men charged with insulting the Supreme Leader. This case lasted for five years and ended up in an acquittal of his clients.
3- The case of Zanjan University students, Sorna Hashemi and Alireza Firouzi, who were arrested after a sit-in protest at the university about an attempted rape of one of the female students by the then Deputy Chancellor of Zanjan university Dr. Hassan Maddadi.
4- The case of pastor Nadarkhani who was charged with apostasy.
On 8 July 2009, Mohamad Ali Dadkhah was arrested at his office along with his wife Maliheh Dadkhah, Sara Sabaghiyan, Bahareh Davlou and Amir Raeisian.
On 4 July 2011 he was sentenced to nine years in prison and barred from working as an attorney for 10 years. Speaking about his sentence then, Dadkhah stated, “I have been sentenced to a 10 year ban on the practice of law, eight years in prison for plotting a soft war for the purpose of overthrowing the regime and by being the spoke person for the Defenders of the Human Rights Center, and an additional one year in prison for propagating against the system and the Islamic Republic. I was also sentenced to flogging and a monetary fine.”
UPDATE May 3, 2012:
On April 28, 2012, Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a human rights lawyer and founding member of the DHRC, was informed by Judge Salavati of Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolution Court, as the former was attempting to represent a political prisoner, that his nine-year imprisonment sentence and his 10-year ban on practising law and teaching had been upheld on appeal. In the past, he has defended many political and student activists and unionists as well as the Christian Pastor Mr. Yousef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death on charge of apostasy.
According to the e-daily Roozonline, Mr. Dadkhah declared on May 1, 2012 that he has to report himself to prison on May 5 to serve his nine-year sentence. He added that “They have banned me from practising law for 10 years and also from teaching even in private institutes after my prison term. My sentence includes a cash fine of 25 million rials and lashing, which has also been substituted with a cash fine”. Besides, he declared that he rejected opportunities to leave Iran and said: “I will go to prison; I will not leave my land even if I die in prison”. Today, Mr. Dadkhah is at risk of imminent arrest.
Persian Article:
http://www.rahana.org/archives/42264
Petition:
We the undersigned demand that the international community bring all possible pressure to bear upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to free human rights lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah after the notorious judge Salavati ordered him to report to prison on May 5, 2012 to begin serving his sentence-- and to vacate the illegal nine year prison sentence against him, as well as to dismiss all equally illegal charges against him.
He has been charged and sentenced solely for the peaceful pursuit of his professional duties, and thus both the charges and the sentence are illegal under international laws and human rights covenants to which Iran is a signatory state.
The harsh prison sentences meted out to Nassrin Sotoudeh, and now to Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, point to a very alarming trend within Iran of deliberately targeting human rights lawyers in an effort to silence them and deprive the politically persecuted of effective legal representation.
The international community, particularly those bodies concerned with human rights and jurisprudence, cannot allow this travesty to go unaddressed.
He has been charged and sentenced solely for the peaceful pursuit of his professional duties, and thus both the charges and the sentence are illegal under international laws and human rights covenants to which Iran is a signatory state.
The harsh prison sentences meted out to Nassrin Sotoudeh, and now to Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, point to a very alarming trend within Iran of deliberately targeting human rights lawyers in an effort to silence them and deprive the politically persecuted of effective legal representation.
The international community, particularly those bodies concerned with human rights and jurisprudence, cannot allow this travesty to go unaddressed.
The Repeal Nine Year Prison Sentence For Iranian Human Right Lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah petition to Ahmed Shaheed, UN, UNHCHR, State Department, EU, Navi Pillay, Ban Ki-Moon, European Parliament was written by John S. Burke and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition. Contact author here. Petition tags: mohammad ali dadkhah, iran, islamic republic of iran, human rights lawyer, attorney, political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, defense attorney, due process, legal representation
