An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini has been arrested, The Associated Press reported on Sunday, citing Iranian state media.
Amini, 22, died while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly not properly wearing her mandatory hijab.
The government crackdown on the demonstrations that followed Amini’s death resulted in hundreds of people being killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands arrested.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said on Sunday that the attorney, Mohsen Borhani, had been previously sentenced but did not give further details on his case or jail time.
Borhani, also a university professor, became popular on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 demonstrations after Amini’s death.
A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said in March that Amini’s death was unlawful and caused by violence.
The lawyer's arrest came a day after Masoud Pezeshkian, who has been touted as a reformist, was elected as president, having won the runoff of the presidential election.
Pezeshkian promised to ease enforcement of the country’s mandatory headscarf law and reach out to the West, though he has already ruled out ties with Israel, telling reporters, “God willing, we will try to have friendly relations with all countries except Israel.”