Iranian Rights Lawyer Faces New Charges

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah

A prominent Iranian lawyer says he faces new charges related to his work with a rights group set up by Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told Radio Farda on January 27 he faces charges of being a member of and participating in the establishment of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.

Dadkhah, who spent several months in custody following the disputed 2009 presidential election, said he also faces charges of making "propaganda against the government."

"This charge pressed by the prosecution considers the Defenders of Human Rights Center as an antigovernment organization," Dadkhah said. "This is while the registration forms were given to us by the Interior Ministry of Iran.”

β€œIt is unacceptable that the registration of an organization by the Interior Ministry itself [could be] against the government," he said.

Dadkhah represented many of those arrested following the 2009 presidential election that sparked mass protests.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, another prominent Iranian rights lawyer, was jailed for 11 years earlier this month on charges that included being a member of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.