On Saturday June 9, Mohammad Najafi, a human rights lawyer, was tried at branch 102 of the Criminal Court number 2 in Arak, central Iran.
He was tried on charges of disturbing public order through unrest and controversy. And also for unconventional movements such as slogans and publication of false and untrue facts in order to disturb public opinion.
Najafi was arrested on January 15, 2018, by Intelligence Ministry agents after he revealed that Vahid Heydari, 22, was beaten at the 12th Police Station in Arak before his death in early January.
Vahid Heydari died in a cell at a police station in Arak, in Iran’s Central Province. Iranian authorities portrayed his death as “suicide,” charging that he was “a drug addict in possession of illegal substances” at the time of his arrest.
Consequently, when a member of parliament said that Najafi has conducted research that proved Heydari was neither a drug addict, nor a dealer, the Iranian Judiciary charged the lawyer with several accusations.
Najafi was released on bail in the city of Arak on April 17, 2018.
Speaking with the Center for Human Rights in Iran on May 6, 2018, Najafi emphasized on pursuing his deceased client case, saying “I will follow up on Vahid Heydari’s case within the framework of the law and if his family wants me to represent them, I will do so and defend their rights to the fullest without the slightest hesitation.”
“As I’m speaking to you right now, there are four warrants against me,” he added. “I have been a lawyer and writer for years and during this time I have been repeatedly charged and acquitted. The authorities themselves have told me that they are trying to grind me into oblivion.”
