In 2014, a Judiciary’s circular listed the most common complaints against judges and numerous
due process violations.25 These included unlawful arrest, failure to renew temporary detention
orders within the prescribed time, failure to render decisions within the prescribed time, ruling
prior to the conclusion of investigation and trial, issuing decisions in courts of original
jurisdiction without convening a trial session, issuance of “unfounded and undocumented”
rulings, issuing rulings outside the scope of the complaint, and unpleasant, inappropriate, and
insulting conduct.26 There is little transparency regarding these complaints and their outcome. At
times, they are not considered at all. During the Iranian year 1395 (March 20, 2016 –March
19, 2017), Iran’s General Inspection office received 30,315 complaints.
During the 2009 post-election protests, the majority of individuals arrested were held
incommunicado with no access to legal representation and without having charges brought
against them for long periods of time. According to Amnesty International, the families of the
arrestees were not notified of their arrest, and in instances where they were notified, details about
their loved ones’ whereabouts or about the possibility of visitations were not revealed by
authorities.27 Most of the detainees were released by December 2009, yet some, including
political prisoners and important opposition figures remained in jail until well after that date due
to long sentences. Such figures include Behzad Nabavi, a reformist MP and member of the
Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Party, who was only released in 2014 after serving a
sentence of 6 years.28 Another prominent member of the reformist party, Mohsen Mirdamdi was
similarly sentenced to 6 years and released on bail in 2010.29 30
Recommendation status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented
25
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, Iran Human Rights Document
Center, Impact Iran and Human Rights Activists in Iran, 2020,
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_ICS_IRN_42313_E.pdf
26 Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, https://www.iranrights.org/library/document/2994
27 Amnesty International, Iran – Election Contested, Repression Compounded, December 2009.
https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/48000/mde131232009en.pdf
28
Payvand News: http://www.payvand.com/news/14/may/1140.html
29
Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty:
https://www.rferl.org/a/Iran_Releases_Reformist_Filmmaker_Journalist_On_Bail/1987129.html
30 For more, please see: Amnesty International, Iran – Election Contested, Repression Compounded, December 2009.
https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/48000/mde131232009en.pdf
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