Masoud Shafiee is an Iranian lawyer. He is best known for serving as the attorney for
three American hikers that were detained in Iran from July 2009 to September 2011. His specialty is representing clients in Iran with American-linked legal problems. Since the release of the Americans, Shafiee has been briefly arrested, interrogated and had his passport confiscated by the Iranian authorities.
Detention of the American hikers
Shafiee was the legal representative for Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, three Americans that were detained by Iranian security forces in July 2009 while hiking in an unmarked border area between
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
and
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. While Sarah Shourd was released in September 2010 on humanitarian grounds, Iranian authorities did not free Bauer and Fattal until a year later in September 2011.
Shafiee always maintained the three were innocent despite receiving condemnation from conservative hardliners in the Iranian regime. The Iranian lawyer also criticized the
Iranian judiciary for denying him proper access to his clients, as required by Iranian law. Over the course of two years representing the Americans, he only met them three times: once before the start of the trial and once before each of their hearings, in February and August 2011. Each meeting was brief.
Fattal and Bauer, after they were released, thanked Shafiee and others who had helped them regain their freedom. Fattal said their attorney "was never allowed to represent us properly, but he never gave up."
Arrest and interrogation
Following the release of the two remaining American hikers, Iranian security forces raided the Shafiee's home in late September 2011. They searched his apartment, seizing his files and his computer's hard drive. He was sent to
Evin Prison
Evin Prison () is a prison located in the Evin neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. The prison has been the primary site for detaining Iran's political prisoners since 1972, before and after the Iranian Revolution, in a purpose-built wing nicknamed "E ...
, his clients' former location, where he was briefly questioned but eventually released.
Regarding the raid, Shafiee said, "Even though they
he security forceswere respectful, this act was wrong in essence."
In early October 2011,
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency.
With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...
reported that Shafiee was barred from leaving the country and had his
passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...
confiscated. The incident occurred when the Iranian lawyer was boarding a flight with his ultimate destination being the United States.
See also
*
Mohammad Ali Dadkhah
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafiee, Masoud
Living people
21st-century Iranian lawyers
Year of birth missing (living people)