Iran Detains a Lawyer Who Criticized 2022 Crackdown Following Mahsa Amini's Death

Iranian lawyer Mohsen Borhani speaks during a campaign rally of the reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian lawyer Mohsen Borhani speaks during a campaign rally of the reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran Detains a Lawyer Who Criticized 2022 Crackdown Following Mahsa Amini's Death

Iranian lawyer Mohsen Borhani speaks during a campaign rally of the reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian lawyer Mohsen Borhani speaks during a campaign rally of the reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini has been arrested, state media reported Sunday.
The unrest followed the death of the 22-year-old detained by the police for allegedly not properly wearing her mandatory headscarf. The massive protests quickly escalated into calls to overthrow Iran’s four-decade theocracy, The Associated Press said.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Sunday that Mohsen Borhani had been previously sentenced but did not give further details on his case or jail time.
Borhani, also a university professor, became popular on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 demonstrations that shook Iran and sparked a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. UN investigators said Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death.
The lawyer's arrest came a day after reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was elected to lead the country.
Pezeshkian promised to reach out to the West after years of sanctions and protests squeezing his country.



Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

A top leader of the Iran-backed-Houthi militias in Yemen said they will keep up their support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip until Israeli “aggression stops, and the siege is lifted.”

“Our operations in support of Gaza will not cease, no matter the sacrifices,” said Mahdi al-Mashat in a statement Wednesday.

The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

They have been firing long-range missiles at Israel in the months since it resumed the war in Gaza, setting off air raid sirens but generally causing few casualties. They have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.