Iran releases renowned human rights attorney
-
Sulaiman
- . April 12, 2023
- . Update: April 12, 2023 10:48 pm
More than five months after being detained during widespread protests, Mostafa Nili was freed from prison by Iranian authorities on Tuesday, according to his counsel.
The protests started last year after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old ethnic Kurd detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women, passed away while in detention in mid-September.
Nili’s attorney Zahra Minouei wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that her client, who had been given a four-year prison term, had been released from the Rajaishahr prison outside of Tehran.
Read | Tunisian athletes go to Europe without authorization
As a result of the social disturbances that followed Amini’s passing, thousands of people were detained, hundreds died, including security personnel, and four individuals were put to death. Iran referred to these demonstrations as “riots” that were started by foreigners.
According to his attorney, Nili was released as a result of that amnesty. A well-known attorney, Nili has defended clients in a number of human rights disputes, including demonstrators who objected to how authorities handled the coronavirus pandemic-related health crises. His sister claims that he was detained on November 8 at the airport in Tehran.
