Mohammad Najafi (; born 22 March 1975) is an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

, and

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

. He has been repeatedly detained and sentenced to long prison terms by the Iranian security forces due to his involvement in human rights cases, such as the case of Vahid Heydari, a protester who died under suspicious circumstances in a detention center in Arak during the

2017–2018 Iranian protests Public protests took place in several cities in Iran beginning on 28 December 2017 and continued into early 2018, sometimes called the Dey protests. The first protest took place in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city by population, initially fo ...

. A vocal critic of the Iranian government, Najafi has been sentenced to over 14 years in prison on charges including "insulting the Supreme Leader", "spreading lies", and "propaganda against the regime". During his imprisonment, Najafi has gone on hunger strikes several times, and due to his deteriorating health, human rights organizations and Iranian lawyers have repeatedly raised concerns about his condition.

Early life and career

Mohammad Najafi was an attorney in Shazand, Iran. He became well known for his voluntary defense of political detainees, his investigation into cases related to the deaths of protesters, and his interviews with international media. His outspoken criticism of the suppression of protesters in Iran led to multiple arrests and threats. Since 2017, he has faced nine judicial orders.

Arrests and sentences

Initial arrests

Najafi's first arrest took place on 9 February 2017, while he was filming a protest by workers at the HEPCO factory in Arak. On 16 January 2018, after pursuing the case of Vahid Haydari, a protester who died in detention during the December 2017 protests, Najafi was arrested again.

Legal sentences

* On 30 August 2018, Mohammad Najafi was sentenced to 3 years in prison and 74 lashes. * On 11 December 2018, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to an additional 10 years in prison, bringing his total sentence to 14 years. * On 12 April 2023, he was sentenced to another 3 years in prison in a new case, along with a 150 million

rial Rial, riyal, or RIAL may refer to: * Rial (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning, McGill University * Rial Racing, a former German Formula One team Currency Various currencies ...

fine.

Hunger strikes and protests in prison

Najafi has gone on several hunger strikes during his imprisonment: * 19 August 2019: After protesting against

Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

and publishing a critical letter, he was transferred to solitary confinement and began a hunger strike, which continued until he was returned to the general prison ward. He cited one of the reasons for his hunger strike as the false case fabrication against his wife and child by the

Intelligence Directorate Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as the ...

of Arak. * 12 April 2023: After being denied medical care, Najafi started another hunger strike that lasted 55 days, severely deteriorating his health.

Health issues and denial of treatment

During his imprisonment, Mohammad Najafi has faced serious health issues, yet authorities have repeatedly prevented his transfer to hospitals: * 26 August 2021: Despite suffering a heart attack and promises from prison authorities, Najafi was denied medical leave or transfer to an outside hospital. * 25 April 2023: Despite his illness, Najafi was returned to prison before completing his treatment.

Efforts to revoke his law license

On 3 September 2023, the Iranian judiciary attempted to revoke Mohammad Najafi’s law license. This move was met with widespread protests from Iranian lawyers.

Reactions and support

Human rights activists and international organizations have repeatedly protested the situation of Mohammad Najafi: *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

has called for his immediate release. * Iran Human Rights Organization has stated that Najafi has been imprisoned due to legal activities defending the rights of citizens, facing fabricated charges and unfair sentences. * Iranian lawyers, both inside and outside the country, such as

Shirin Ebadi Shirin Ebadi (; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian Nobel laureate, lawyer, writer, teacher and a former judge and founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. In 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pioneering effor ...

and

Nasrin Sotoudeh Nasrin Sotoudeh (Persian: نسرین ستوده) is an Iranian human rights lawyer known for her defense of activists, opposition politicians, and individuals facing human rights violations. She has represented Iranian opposition activists and ...

, have protested his continued detention and urged the international community to put pressure on Iran for his release.

Awards

European Bar Associations Award for Human Rights

On 28 November 2019 (7 Azar 1398), the

Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) is an association gathering together bar associations of 32 countries in Europe (those of the European Union, of the European Economic Area and of Switzerland), The United Kingdom, and an add ...

awarded their Human Rights Prize to four Iranian lawyers, including Mohammad Najafi and

. Three of these four lawyers, including Mohammad Najafi, were in prison at the time of receiving the award for defending political prisoners.

Iranian Defenders of Human Rights Award

Defenders of Human Rights Center The Defenders of Human Rights Center () is an Iranian human rights organization. Organization Based in Tehran, the organization was founded in 2001 and has been active in defending rights of women, political prisoners and minorities in Iran. Sever ...

awarded the "Human Rights Advocate" prize in 2019 to Mohammad Najafi, the imprisoned lawyer and human rights activist. Mohammad Seifzadeh,

Abdolfattah Soltani Abdolfattah Soltani (; born 2 November 1953) is an Iranian human rights lawyer and spokesman for the Defenders of Human Rights Center. He co-founded the group with Mohammad Seifzadeh and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi. Along with Ebadi, ...

, and Masoumeh Dehghan, representatives of the association, attended his home in Arak and presented the award statue to Najafi’s family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Najafi, Mohammad 1975 births Iranian lawyers Iranian hunger strikers Political prisoners in Iran Iranian prisoners and detainees Iranian human rights activists Living people