Message to Pezeshkian: Lawyer supporting protests arrested

The 2022 protests erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Her death triggered mass protests that called for the overthrow of Iran's 40-year-old Islamic theocracy.

The state-run Mizan news agency announced on Sunday that lawyer Mohsen Borhani had been convicted but did not provide details on the trial process or the prison sentence.

Borhani, who is also a university professor, gained popularity on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 protests, which shook the Islamic Republic and resulted in the deaths of over 500 people and the detention of more than 22,000.

UN inspectors stated that Amini's death was due to physical violence while in custody, for which they held Iran responsible. Borhani also supported this view.

The arrest occurred a day after the election of reformist President Massoud Pezeshkian to lead the country.

Pezeshkian had pledged to ease the enforcement of the mandatory headscarf law and to open channels of communication with the West following years of sanctions and protests that have plagued the Islamic Republic.