While “Naghi Mahmoodi”, lawyer in Tabriz, has been disbarred for the fourth time, this lawyer left Iran because he was not feeling safe after the police, security and Intelligence agents also came to his office.
Mr. Mahmudi has been the attorney of a many civil activists and students in Western and Eastern provinces of Azerbaijan. This lawyer who has been practicing for nine years, has been disbarred because of a short note written by him: “The Islamic Republic makes miracles happen, I have been disbarred three times in the last four years.” In this note he mentions the problems he has faced in his nine years of practice and says: “They took my practice license with the excuse of renewing it and then I was disbarred, accused of felony”. He also points out: “Following these illegal measures, on Saturday evening August 27, when I was not in my office, some plainclothes came asking for me. The very next day, feeling that they seriously wanted to arrest me, I had to flee.”
In a dialogue with ”Naghi Mahmoodi”, lawyer who had fled the country, I asked him about the professional security of lawyers in Iran, why he left the country and the actual condition to practice law:
Recently we were informed you left Iran. What was the main reason for your decision to leave the country?
The main reason was the high probability for my arrest. The day before I left Iran, they came for me to my office and fortunately I was not there. Three or four plainclothes guys have been to my office and searched all the rooms to find me, so after being informed of this, I was forced to leave the country. Of course a month before, they sent a notice to me that I had to go to the judiciary in Tabriz without explaining the reason why I have been summoned. So I did not go there.
Unfortunately, in the actual circumstances, Practice of Law is one of the professions with no security what so ever
About three months before this, for the third time, I was disbarred in the last four years. I complained to the Supreme Administrative Court. My complaint was accepted and the court ordered a temporary recovery of my licence but unfortunately, under pressure of the intelligence services, after two months, the interim order issued by the Supreme Administrative Court was abolished, and they sent a notice to Eastern Azerbaijan Department of Justice, disbarring me again.
In your opinion, how do we can define professional security in practice of law in Iran?
Unfortunately, in the actual circumstances, Practice of Law is one of the professions with no security what so ever. It is among the most harmful professions. The Republic of Iran, with regard to the role that lawyers have in connection with political offenders, they try to prevent the paradox, and prevent defence of lawyers and in fact, by consequence, obstruction to any political and civil activity in Iran. Because the Islamic Republic considers defending the political and civil activists an issue against its sovereignty.
When lawyers are not able to defend their clients, what will happen to political and civil activists who are accused?
The same question was asked by one of my friends also and I must say that unfortunately the situation is going to be worse than the past. In Tabriz and Urmia, a large number of Azerbaijan civil activists have been arrested and detained in the Intelligence Services prisons or Tabriz prison. Unfortunately, three of the lawyers who were active in defending political cases in Azerbaijan have been somehow forced to be way. I am one of them. Another colleague, Mr. ”Abbas Jamali” was silenced by a case of false affair. So, unfortunately, in these conditions, there is no lawyer who can defend political and civil activists cases professionally.
lawyer of the Azerbaijani activists, Naghi Mahmoodi
Source : Ardavan Roozbeh / Radio Koocheh
Translated by Avideh Motmaen-Far