The Centre for Supporters of Human Rights (CSHR) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHARI) have published a report on the status of lawyers and the bar associations in Iran. It documents the systematic repression faced by lawyers, including restrictive laws, security interference, politically motivated prosecutions, and gender-based discrimination, all of which undermine fair trial guarantees and the rule of law.
As noted by Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, repression against lawyers in Iran is systematic, particularly for those representing human rights defenders, protesters, and opposition figures. Many lawyers face harassment, criminal charges, detention, or imprisonment for their professional work or for speaking out against judicial corruption. Despite this, Iranian lawyers, including women lawyers facing severe gender discrimination, continue to demonstrate resilience and a strong commitment to justice.
The report brings together a comprehensive account of the legal, institutional, and systemic barriers faced by lawyers in Iran, highlighting how the country’s judicial system – including the Revolutionary Courts – systematically denies access to independent legal counsel. It also provides verified and reliable material to support advocacy before UN special procedures, treaty bodies, bar associations, and other international actors. In addition, the report aims to raise public awareness by equipping civil society actors, journalists, and academics with accessible analysis and by underscoring what is at stake for the people of Iran.
The report concludes that protecting the legal profession in Iran requires both immediate and long-term action. Short term priorities include solidarity among lawyers, strategic use of existing legal tools, and public advocacy. Long term efforts must focus on structural reform, international support networks, legal safeguards for bar independence, and restoring public trust in the legal profession.
This report is formally endorsed by Lawyers for Lawyers, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the International Observatory for Lawyers at Risk, and the Ordre des Avocats de Genève.
Read the full report hereÂ
