On 19 April 2023, Pogust Goodhead organised a special debate at the House of Commons Terrace on how lawyers could help the people of Iran against the state-sponsored crimes committed against them.
Iran has seen nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022, three days after she died in police custody. The protests have highlighted the discrimination in law and practice against women and girls as well as minorities.
The United Nations Human Rights Council report numerous allegations of ill-treatment of individuals by security forces leading to the death and injury of protesters and of torture during arrest and interrogation to extract forced confessions, as well as allegations of sexual and gender-based violence.
An Important Event
In advance of the debate, our Partner and COO Alicia Alinia – who is of Iranian heritage – wrote an article for The Independent on the importance of the event.
“Today, a group of lawyers, academics, journalists, and activists, some of Iranian heritage, will join together to launch a new initiative to get justice for human rights abuses in Iran,” she said.
“We aim to build a global group of experts to help document and analyse the human rights abuses in Iran, with a view to securing justice for the victims in international courts.”
The event was a huge success and featured contributions from:
- Rodney Dixon KC, International Human Rights Barrister
- Rana Rahimpour, Former-BBC Reporter and Presenter
- Prof. Javaid Rehman, UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
International Law
Alicia Alinia wrote in The Independent: “The beauty of international law is that much of it is newly established. That makes it fertile territory for creating new precedents.
“We believe that monitoring and documenting human rights violations in Iran, and preparing that evidence so it can stand up in court, is a powerful way to hold the regime to account. Those guilty should have evidence presented against them at international courts.”
She added: “The people of Iran must know that someone out there is documenting their plight and bringing it, in all its harrowing detail, to the international stage. Perhaps one day they will finally get the justice they deserve.”
Read the full article on The Independent’s website.
