Three Lawyers Sentenced to Three Years in Prison in Shiraz

Three defense attorneys in Shiraz have been sentenced by the First Branch of the city’s Islamic Revolutionary Court to a combined total of three years in prison and a two-year travel ban, along with the revocation of their passports.

According to a report by Emtedad, the First Branch of the Shiraz Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Nazanin Salari, Mahmoud Taravat-roy, and Masoud Ahmadian to three years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion with the intent to commit crimes against national security” and “propaganda activity against the regime.” As a supplementary punishment, the court also imposed a two-year ban on leaving the country and revoked the passports of all three lawyers.

The Shiraz Revolutionary Court acquitted Nazanin Salari, Mahmoud Taravat-roy, and Masoud Ahmadian of the charge of “cooperating with a hostile state.”

Defense attorney Mostafa Nili announced the news to Emtedad, stating that Nazanin Salari, Mahmoud Taravat-roy, and Masoud Ahmadian are active lawyers in political, ideological, and security cases and have worked in this field for many years.

According to him, the case was opened in 2020. While the head of the First Branch of the Shiraz Islamic Revolutionary Court presided over the previous hearings, the case was reassigned to one of the court’s advisors during the final hearing. Nili said that despite objections, the advisor took the final defense statements and subsequently issued the conviction ruling against his clients.

The defense attorney cited the reasons for opening the case and issuing the verdict as the three lawyers’ participation in meetings and seminars on the rights of women and children; efforts to pursue the amendment and passage of laws related to domestic violence through dialogue with members of parliament, councils, and electoral candidates; participation in programs linked to the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, also known as Orange the World; distribution of “No to Violence Against Women” and “No to Child Marriage” pins; and interviews on the status of their clients and violations of their rights.

Emphasizing that the three lawyers had committed no illegal acts, Nili said their activities were in line with defending the rights of their clients, reforming the legal landscape, and establishing justice. He added that an appeal against the verdict will be filed within the legal timeframe, expressing hope that the court of appeals will issue an acquittal, considering the deficiencies in the case file and flaws in the ruling.