Mohammad Hadi Jafarpour, an Iranian journalist and lawyer, was arrested at his law office in Shiraz on January 18 and transferred to Adelabad Prison in Mashhad.
Jafarpour regularly wrote articles examining the intersection of law, ethics and civil rights in Iran for several media outlets, including Shargh Daily and Khabar Online. In his most recent piece published on January 3, he called on authorities to heed the call of protestors that had taken to the streets.
He also publicly and actively declared his readiness to provide voluntary legal assistance, offering pro bono representation to individuals detained or prosecuted in connection with the recent protests in Iran.
Jafarpour criticized the crackdown and the treatment of detainees by Iranian security forces. At the time of publication, Iran’s protests had resulted in at least 6,842 deaths and the arrest of at least 42,324 people, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), alongside widespread internet shutdowns that restricted independent reporting and verification.
His Instagram account has since been deactivated.
CPJ emailed Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York for comment but received no response.