Iranian authorities imprison human rights lawyer

Source: Radio Zamaneh

Mohammad Oliayifard, Iranian human rights lawyer and top court attorney was arrested on the morning of March 8 after being summoned by the Revolutionary court. Oliayifard, former organizer of Human Rights Activists Collective, was arrested by security forces in Tehran.

Jaras reports that the officers announced that he was arrested in order to serve out the one-year prison term which was previously handed to him.

On February 7, 2009, Mohammad Oliayifard was handed a sentence of one-year imprisonment for the charge of "propaganda against the regime."

He was put on trial for protesting the execution of his client, Behnoud Shojai, a juvenile offender in November of 2009. Having defended his actions, Oliyaifard was released at the time on a $50,000 bail.

Mohammad Oliyaifard maintains that since Iran has signed the Convention of the Rights of a Child, Iranians should not be sentenced to death for crimes committed under the age of 18 and therefore, his protests against the execution of Behnoud Shojaee were completely legal.

Scores of human rights activists have been arrested and imprisoned in recent days.