Human rights lawyer barred from leaving Iran
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 March 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Human rights lawyer barred from leaving Iran, 16 March 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49c26a972d.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 16, 2009
Nasser Zarafshan
Iranian authorities blocked human rights lawyer Nasser Zarafshan from boarding a plane to Brussels on March 15 and confiscated his passport, Radio Farda reported.
Zarafshan, who was planning to travel to a forum on environmental issues, told Radio Farda that officials said an "open file in the judiciary" blocked him from traveling as of 10 months ago.
"I do not believe there is a case against me," Zarafshan said. "I am not aware of it. I have been in constant contact with the judiciary lately and they could summon me or even arrest me if they saw the necessity."
Zarafshan, a former political prisoner, has served as an advocate in some of the country's most controversial human rights cases, including the trial of suspects in the murders of Iranian intellectuals in 1998.
