Formation of the "General Office for Supervision of Lawyers" is another Attack and Insult to the Imperfect Independence of the Iranian Bar Association!

Formation of the "General Office for Supervision of Lawyers" is another Attack and Insult to the Imperfect Independence of the Iranian Bar Association!

By order of the Deputy Judiciary, an office called the "General Office for Supervision of Lawyers" has been established to monitor the conduct of lawyers in terms of observing Islamic standards, including hijab, adherence to the Vilayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) and the Islamic Republic regime in the courts and cyberspace. With the duties assigned to it, this office intends to further violate the imperfect independence of the Bar Association and place it under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary.

The Bill of the Independence of the Bar Association has been a thorn in the side of the oppressors of the political and civil rights of the society since its introduction in the government of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh until today, both in the former regime and in the Islamic Republic and attempts have always been made to violate the independence of the Bar Association in one way or another. The attack on this association, however, has gained a lot of momentum and scope since the presidency of Ebrahim Raeisi on the Judiciary. In this regard, a few months ago, the juridical Deputy of the Judiciary drafted and proposed the executive by-law of the legal bill of the independence of the Bar Association in 198 articles, which was met with a wide wave of opposition earlier this year. Twelve thousand lawyers and 180 judges demanded that the Judiciary not interfere in the affairs of the Bar Association and defended the independence of this association. However, in a similar action, the same deputy of the Judiciary has sent a circular to the justice departments all over the country, which from now on will have an office called the "General Office for Supervision of Lawyers" to monitor the behavior of lawyers!

The issuance of this circular has been protested by bar associations and their trade unions across the country. The Central Bar Association called the issuance of this directive illegal and violation of the independence of the Bar Association and called on the Judiciary presidency “in order to fulfill the principles set forth in the Judicial Security Document, to prevent the extension of the authority of such office to the members of the judiciary lawyers."

The purpose of Issuing such a circular and the result of such interference in the affairs of bar associations is continuous control of lawyers and filing of cases against them to the point of revoking their licenses. This trick of the Judiciary is aimed at hunting lawyers with judicature independent personality in order to weaken the ability of the Bar Association to defend its imperfect independence.

The Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian) condemns the continuation of the regime interference through the Judiciary in the independence of the country's bar associations, and reiterates its support for the righteous demands of more than 12,000 lawyers, professors and jurists of the country and emphasizes the importance of supporting the struggle of independent lawyers in various forms by all pro-freedom and pro-democracy organizations.

Political-Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian)

December 3, 2020