On 15 April 2025, Mohammad Najafi’s lawyer announced that the human rights defender has been disbarred permanently, following a verdict by Branch 1 of the High Court of Judges. The permanent disbarment was issued while the human rights defender faces multiple sentences, which would keep him in prison until 2033.
Mohammad Najafi is a human rights defender and lawyer, who has represented many political prisoners and conducted investigations into the deaths of individuals in police custody. He has been unjustly imprisoned in Iran since 2018 on multiple convictions for his defense of basic civil and political liberties. In November 2019, he won the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe’s Human Rights Prize alongside three other Iranian lawyers, including Nasrin Sotoudeh.
On 15 April 2025, Mohammad Najafi’s lawyer announced the decision from Branch 1 of the High Court of Judges, overseeing the conduct of justices and lawyers, for the permanent disbarment of the human rights defender. The disbarment verdict was issued on 21 December 2024, however it was only recently handed down to Mohammad Najafi in Evin Prison.
Mohammad Najafi has been unjustly imprisoned since 2018 and has developed serious health issues while detained. In early November 2024, the human rights defender was hospitalised after reporting severe chest pains and dizziness, only to be handcuffed and shackled while being transferred and undergoing medical treatment. Despite his extreme health concerns, the human rights defender has only been given access to medical furlough on very limited occasions, including on 31 March 2020 and from 22 February to 15 March 2021. This lack of adequate consideration for his urgent medical care has caused his health to significantly deteriorate.
Iran: Rights lawyer Mohmmad Najafi disbarred during the seventh year of his imprisonment
