Mostafa Nili, Arash Keykhosravi and Mehdi Mahmoudian Denied Phone Calls and Held in Solitary Confinement

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Mostafa Nili, Arash Keykhosravi and Mehdi Mahmoudian were arrested as part of a group of seven when they went to file a complaint against the National Task Force Against Coronavirus and the Supreme Leader at the Tehran Citizen’s Rights Protection Association on August 14. They have so far been denied phone calls to their families and access to their lawyers, and are being held in solitary confinement.

The other four detainees, lawyers Mohammad Hadi Erfanian, Mohammadreza Faghihi and Leila Heydari, and activist Maryam Afrafaraz were released days later.

Informed sources have told IHR that Mostafa Nili, Arash Keykhosravi and Mehdi Mahmoudian are being held in the solitary confinement cells of Ward 241 of Evin Prison and were only permitted to make a short phone call to their families once.

According to Shargh newspaper, their lawyer, Zahra Minouyi, has been going to the Prosecutor’s Office and Evin Prison every working day but has been denied access to their case.

Following their arrest, the Human Rights Commission of the Central Bar Association issued a statement calling for the immediate release of all detainees and for those responsible to be held accountable.

A part of the statement reads: “A number of colleagues; lawyers who were preparing to take legal action according to Article 34 of the Constitution against the authorities for negligence in governing and controlling the Coronavirus epidemy, were threatened with dismissal prior to taking action by individuals who identified themselves as officers and judicial agents. They have subsequently been arrested without committing any crime and without adhering to the International Bar Association’s guidelines set for breaches committed by lawyers.”  

“Instead of suppressing their critics, the Islamic Republic authorities should be held accountable for their incompetence, mismanagement and especially the Supreme Leader’s role in the daily death of hundreds of people due to COVID-19,” Iran Human Rights Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam previously said.