In an open letter sent today to Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamene'i, Human Rights Watch protested further closure orders against independent newspapers, the closure of an independent political party and the continued detention without access to lawyers or their families of independent political activists.
These judicial actions constitute violations of the Iranian Constitution and of Iran's obligations in international law.
The judiciary should not be used as a weapon in the hands of a political faction," said Hanny Megally, Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. "The leader must use his authority to ensure that doesn't happen."
