Iranian lawyer and rights activist Mohsen Borhani
Iran’s Managed Election: Reformist Pezeshkian Wins as Regime Chooses Legitimacy
Two days after reformist Masoud Pezeshkian was elected President of Iran, one of his prominent supporters has been imprisoned.
Lawyer and rights activist Mohsen Borhani was condemned over his criticism of the Government of Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in May in a helicopter crash triggered the special election.
In a speech during the campaign, Borhani referred to the use of “batons, electric shockers, and pellet bullets” by security forces to suppress the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests from September 2022.
The Iran judiciary’s outlet Mizan posted, “Convicted earlier during the handling of a legal case in the judicial courts, Mohsen Borhani’s sentence was finalized, and he was subsequently summoned to prison to serve his sentence.”
In August 2023 authorities, including the Revolutionary Guards and a member of the Guardian Council, filed a case against Borhani because of his comments about the suppression of Iranians, especially women defying compulsory hijab.
He was among professors fired by Tehran University over their support of protests.
