Reza Akbari Adl and Mohammad Esmaili Alafi, two lawyers and members of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association, were detained on Sunday, October 18, 2026, after being summoned to the Tabriz Prosecutor’s Office, according to published information.
Despite efforts by the two lawyers’ families and colleagues, no information has been made available to date about the reasons for their detention, where they are being held, or their condition.
About a week before these two lawyers were detained, Amirsalar Davoudi, a lawyer and member of the Central Bar Association, was also arrested by judicial authorities in Isfahan.
The continued detention of independent lawyers and the pressure placed on them and on human rights defenders could restrict citizens’ access to the right to a defense and to independent counsel, particularly defendants in political and security cases.