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On 9 October 2010, Mohammad Seifzadeh, a lawyer and one of the founders of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), was tried at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on the charge of founding the organization. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Seifzadeh referred to the proceedings as “illegal,” and called the unrelated questioning an “inquisition.” He also complained about lack of a jury panel at his trial and that his case was originally prepared by two judges who have since been suspended from service, Saeed Mortazavi and Haddad, and the fact that the court’s proceedings under these circumstances were entirely illegal.

“It was very strange, instead of the presiding judge, the representative from the Prosecutor’s Office kept asking me questions. Both my lawyer and I objected to this issue. The representative from the Prosecutor’s Office was conducting an inquisition, which by itself is a crime, and basically, the questions had nothing to do with the indictment,” Seifzadeh told the Campaign about his trial session.

“For example, he asked me whether I believe in velayat-e faqih (rule of the Supreme Leader) or not. I asked him whether I was being tried for my belief in the Supreme Leader. Unfortunately, the interaction was completely political and pre-determined, and the only thing that was not important in the court was law and justice. No matter how many times I asked the representative of the P... >>>