An Iranian lawyer who criticized the government's handling of the 2022 protests, when massive demonstrations against the regime broke out following the death of a young woman in the morality police's custody, has been arrested.
Lawyer Mohsen Borhani, who is also a university professor, had a relatively large following on social media, where he criticized the regime's response to the demonstrations, which were carried out under the slogan "woman, life, freedom". More than 500 people were killed and over 22,000 people were arrested in connection with the protests. Many have been sentenced to death for their participation in the movement.
State-run Iranian media reported on Sunday, a day after a new president was installed in Iran, that Borhani has been detained since earlier.
The new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has been described as reform-friendly and somewhat less hardline than his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash earlier this year.
Since the president of Iran is subordinate to the religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian's actual ability to reform the system is considered limited.
