Background:
Age: 49
Activism/right: Human rights lawyer
Status: Free
Legal status: 3 years imprisonment
Violations: Judicial harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention, lack of due process, unfair trial, denial of medical care, access to lawyer
Arash Keykhosravi is a human rights lawyer who was previously arrested in 2018. He was also one of the lawyers who went to file a complaint against the National Task Force Against Coronavirus and the Supreme Leader at the Tehran Citizen’s Rights Protection Association for their mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic on 14 August 2021. According to sources, 15 forces and two judicial officials entered the meeting and arrested all seven claimants. While four were released days later, Arash was one of three who were detained in the solitary confinement cells of Ward 241 of Evin Prison. Other than one short call to his family at the time of his arrest, he was denied phone calls and access to a lawyer. A preliminary hearing was held on October 27, where he was charged with “forming a group to disturb national security, propaganda against the system and membership in an opposition group.” According to lawyer Saeed Khalili, no further dates have been scheduled in their case. Arash was released on bail on 25 December 2021. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” on 19 June 2022. His sentence was upheld by Branch 36 of the Appeals Court on August 16.
For signing a statement against the Islamic Republic in November 2022, he was sentenced to a year imprisonment by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. Arash surrendered to Evin Prison to serve his sentence on 25 September 2023.