- Target:
- UN, Ban ki-Moon, OHCHR, Navi Pillay, Ahmed Shaheed, State Department, EU, European Parliament
- Region:
- Iran
- Website:
- www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl
As a lawyer, Mohammad Seifzadeh stood by many victims of human rights violations in Iran. He was one of the lawyers involved in the foundation of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC, website) in 2001. The DHRC, which reports frequently on human rights violations in Iran, is the most prominent human rights organisation in Iran.
On February 23, 2013 Radio Zamaneh reported that Iranian human rights lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh, after two years of imprisonment, was sentenced to six years in jail.
Fatemeh Golzar, the jailed lawyer’s wife, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran: “Just when we were expecting that he would be finally released, the court’s ruling was reported to us, and he has been sentenced to six year in jail.”
In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Seifzadeh called his trial “illegal” and an “inquisition”. He particularly criticised the political nature of the trial and the fact that he was constantly asked questions that were entirely unrelated to the charges.
Seifzadeh was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court in 2010 to nine years in jail and a 10-year ban from practicing law. He was arrested in March of 2011 and given two years for “attempting to leave the country illegally.”
He was charged with “collusion and assembly against national security” for collaborating in writing petitions and issuing joint statements while in jail. He has refused to participate in the proceedings against him on the basis that the courts lack the jurisdiction and legitimacy to issue a fair ruling.
Mohammad Seifzadeh was a judge prior to the 1979 Revolution in Iran and was prohibited from practicing law for 10 years following the regime change.
On February 28, 2015, after having been hospitalized for a time with numerous serious medical ailments, Mr. Seifzadeh was returned to the notoriously awful conditions of Rajai-Shahr Prison.
WHEREAS: Mohammad Seifzadeh is a prisoner of conscience who has been imprisoned solely for his work as a human rights lawyer;
AND WHEREAS: His arrest, conviction and imprisonment are ILLEGAL under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, as well as Article 24 of the Iranian constution;
AND WHEREAS: The health of Mohammad Seifzadeh has deteriorated seriously in the appalling conditions of the infamous Rajai-Shahr Prison;
THEREFORE: We, the undersigned, demand that the international community bring all possible pressure to bear upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to IMMEDIATELY and UNCONDITIONALLY release Mohammad Seifzadeh, reverse his conviction, drop all charges against him and secure for him all necessary medical care.
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The Free Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh petition to UN, Ban ki-Moon, OHCHR, Navi Pillay, Ahmed Shaheed, State Department, EU, European Parliament was written by John S. Burke and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.