Mohammad Seifzadeh

{{Short description|Iranian lawyer and human rights activist (born 1948)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = سید محمد سیف زاده
Mohammad Seifzadeh

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = 1948

| birth_place = Qom, Iran

| occupation = lawyer, Founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center

| nationality = Iranian

}}

Mohammad Seifzadeh ({{langx|fa|سید محمد سیف زاده}} - born 1948) is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge, human rights activist and a cofounder of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran. He is the older brother of Hossein Seifzadeh, an Iranian political scientist.

Life

Seifzadeh was a member of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi's legal team in 2004 when she represented the mother of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who had been murdered in an Iranian prison, allegedly by an Iranian security officer.{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-96563861.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309131231/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-96563861.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 March 2016 |title=Nobel laureate protests court decision, threatens to take slain photojournalist case to international organizations |author=Ali Akbar Dareini |date=18 July 2004 |publisher=Associated Press |accessdate=1 October 2012}}

In October 2010, Seifzadeh was charged with "collusion and assembly with intent to disrupt internal security," "propagation activities against the regime," and "establishing the Center for Human Rights Defenders."{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-255655830.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409115243/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-255655830.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2016 |title=Another lawyer jailed, this one for visiting Urumiyeh|date=29 April 2011 |work=Iran Times International |publisher= |accessdate=1 October 2012}} He was sentenced to 9 years of prison and 10 years of ban from the practice of law.{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Prominent_Iranian_Rights_Lawyer_Sentenced_To_Nine_Years_In_Prison/2207212.html |title=Prominent Iranian Rights Lawyer Sentenced To Nine Years In Prison |author=Golnaz Esfandiari |date=1 November 2010 |publisher=Radio Free Europe |archivedate=12 October 2012|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012135544/http://www.rferl.org/content/Prominent_Iranian_Rights_Lawyer_Sentenced_To_Nine_Years_In_Prison/2207212.html |accessdate=1 October 2012}} He called the ruling the result of "an unlawful court proceeding".{{cite web |url=http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=7856 |title=Prominent Attorney Mohammad Seifzadeh Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison |date=1 November 2010 |publisher=Human Rights House of Iran|url-status=live |archivedate=14 March 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314234436/http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=7856 |accessdate=1 October 2012}}

While appealing the ruling, Seifzahed remained at liberty. In April 2011, he visited Urumiyeh on the Turkish border and was arrested by Iranian officials on charges of attempting to leave the country illegally. Seifzahed's lawyer argued that he had only been in the city for a research project.

Since then, various organizations such as the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have called for his release.{{cite web |url=http://www.fidh.org/Release-of-a-human-rights-lawyer |title=Release of a human rights lawyer, while others remain arbitrarily detained and harassed |date=29 April 2011 |publisher=International Federation for Human Rights |archivedate=20 July 2012 |url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720065805/http://fidh.org/Release-of-a-human-rights-lawyer |accessdate=1 October 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://en.rsf.org/iran-regime-still-targeting-human-27-04-2011,40115.html |title=Regime Still Targeting Human Rights Lawyers and Journalists |date=27 April 2011 |publisher=Reporters Without Borders |url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616152026/http://en.rsf.org/iran-regime-still-targeting-human-27-04-2011,40115.html |access-date=1 October 2012}} Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience.{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news/iran-must-release-human-rights-defender-mohammad-ali-dadkhah-2012-10-01 |title=Iran must release human rights defender Mohammad Ali Dadkhah |date=1 October 2012 |publisher=Amnesty International |archivedate=1 October 2012|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001181615/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/iran-must-release-human-rights-defender-mohammad-ali-dadkhah-2012-10-01 |accessdate=1 October 2012}}