Lawyer Javad Alikurdi Arrested by Intelligence Agents in Mashhad

Iran Human Rights Society, Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Attorney Javad Alikordi has been arrested by intelligence agents in Mashhad.

Iran Human Rights Society, Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Attorney Javad Alikordi has been arrested by intelligence agents in Mashhad. Early on Saturday, March 1, agents from the Mashhad Intelligence Department raided Javad Alikordi’s law office. And then took him into custody.

Prior to his arrest, intelligence officers in Mashhad had contacted Alikordi by phone, demanding that he report to the Criminal Enforcement Division in Mashhad to carry out his sentence. In response, Alikordi stated that any such action must be conducted legally through the issuance of a formal summons from the Judiciary’s Enforcement Office.

Javad Alikordi has previously represented several protesters and detainees from the nationwide protests of 2022. The Mashhad Revolutionary Court had earlier sentenced him to 16 months in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime.”

According to his close associates, Alikordi has never received any official summons from judicial authorities regarding the enforcement of his sentence.

Javad Alikordi, a lawyer representing political activists Fatemeh Sepehri and Kamal Jafari Yazdi, was arrested after security forces raided his office, continuing a pattern of targeting human rights attorneys in Iran, as documented by groups like the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

violates Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The arrest violates Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects freedom of expression, highlighting ongoing tensions between Iranian authorities and legal professionals defending activists, as seen in prior cases like Khosrow Alikordi’s ban from practicing law.

Fatemeh Sepehri, a women’s rights activist, and Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a professor and war veteran, are political prisoners whose cases have drawn international attention, with Sepehri detained in 2021 for protesting and Yazdi persecuted for signing a statement calling for leadership change in Iran.

The Arrest of Civil Activist Javad Alikordi: A Violation of International Human Rights Laws

The arrest of civil activists like Javad Alikordi contradicts several fundamental principles of international human rights law.

Here are some of the most important legal provisions that are often violated:
The Right to Freedom of Expression

Article 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Article 19, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
This article guarantees that individuals have the right to freely express their opinions and beliefs.

Violation:
The arrest of civil activists who peacefully express their opinions directly violates these articles. This right remains protected even when individuals criticize the government or its policies.

The Right to Peaceful Assembly

Article 20, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
“Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”

Article 21, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
This article emphasizes that the right to peaceful assembly must respected. And can only restrict under specific and justified circumstances.

Violation:
Arresting individuals for participating in peaceful protests or gatherings is a direct violation of this right, except in cases where an assembly turns violent or poses a legitimate threat. However, in most cases, civil activists simply advocate for lawful and civil demands.

The Right to a Fair Trial

Article 10, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
“Everyone entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.”

Articles 14 and 15, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
These articles guarantee that every individual has the right to a fair trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Violation:
In many cases, civil activists convicted without access to legal representation. And without a public trial or based on unreliable evidence—clear violations of the right to a fair trial.

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