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.



Israeli Rescuers Say Eight Hurt in Bus Shooting in West Bank

Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
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Israeli Rescuers Say Eight Hurt in Bus Shooting in West Bank

Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP

A shooting at a bus near an Israeli settlement injured at least eight people on Friday in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli rescue service said.

Violence in the West Bank has surged since the start of the Gaza war sparked by Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the attack, which left more than a dozen bullet holes in the windshield of the bus.

Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

Three of the injured were lying near the bus, conscious, when the rescuers arrived, a spokesman for MDA said, adding that those most seriously hurt were taken to hospital in a "stable condition".

"In this operation, one of our heroic fighters ambushed a number of Israeli soldiers and settlers inside a bus," Hamas's armed wing said in a statement, identifying the attacker as 46-year-old Samer Hussein, from a village near Nablus.

At least 24 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during military operations in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, Israeli official figures show.

During the same period, at least 778 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to an AFP count based on Palestinian official figures.

All of Israel's settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law.