Amirsalar Davoudi
Age: 46
Activism/rights: Lawyer and human rights defender
Status: Imprisoned in Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd)
Judicial status: Sentenced to 30 years in prison and 111 lashes in a previous case, with enforcement of the sentence suspended; facing prosecution in a new case
Violations: Arbitrary arrest and detention, denial of due process and a fair trial, judicial harassment, torture, denial of medical care, denial of access to legal counsel, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of contact and visits with family members, forced transfer to another prison, interference with the exercise of his professional duties as a lawyer
Amirsalar Davoudi is a lawyer who has represented a number of political prisoners and civil activists, religious converts, and members of the Baha’i community. He was arrested by security forces on 19 November 2018 and transferred to Ward 241 of Evin Prison. Prior to his arrest, security officers had raided his office and home, confiscating a number of his personal files and belongings. He spent 190 days in solitary confinement.
He was arrested in relation to his Telegram channel “Without Retouch,” where he discussed breaches in the judicial process, the judicial harassment of lawyers and human rights abuses. On 1 June 2019, Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court presided over by "Death Judge" Salavati, sentenced Amirsalar to 111 lashes and a total of 30 years in prison: 15 years for “forming a group to overthrow the political system (through his Telegram channel), propaganda against the system, publishing lies and insulting officials and the leader”
amongst other charges. The sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal on 30 July 2019.
On 13 April 2021, Amirsalar was prison-exiled from Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison. His request for a retrial was granted by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court on June 13, and he was released on bail. A month later, Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court upheld the original ruling by Branch 15. On 26 June 2022, while Amirsalar was attending the Evin Prosecutor’s Office, he was unexpectedly arrested by order of the judge of Branch One of the Sentence Enforcement Unit and transferred to Ward 4 of Evin Prison. The 2022 Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Award was presented to Amirsalar in absentia on 23 September.
He survived the 15 October 2022 attack on Evin Prison during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests. He was deprived of the right to contact his family for two months due to publishing a post about the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.
In February 2024, Amirsalar filed a complaint against three current and former security officials of the Islamic Republic judiciary on charges of “commission of proven disciplinary offences and violations”.
On 2 September 2024, Amirsalar was granted a three-day prison furlough, and the enforcement of his sentence was suspended following the acceptance of his request for a retrial. He remains free on bail while awaiting a hearing before a parallel branch of the Court of Appeal.
On October 4, 2026, Davoudi announced the marriage of two political prisoners, Alireza Sepahi and Mahshad Kashani, by sharing an audio recording of their marriage ceremony on his Instagram account. Sepahi was executed the following day, October 5, at Isfahan Central Prison. Davoudi criticized the judicial proceedings and the implementation of his death sentence.
On October 11, 2026, Davoudi was arrested while attending the Isfahan Revolutionary Court to represent Mahshad Kashani. A new criminal case was opened against him.
On October 13, 2026, Asadollah Jafari, Chief Justice of Isfahan Province, confirmed Davoudi’s arrest and the charges against him. The announced charges included “spreading false information online with the intent to disturb public opinion,” “inciting people to kill one another with the intent to disrupt national security,” and “propaganda against the state.” The judicial official also raised the possibility of an additional charge under the law imposing harsher penalties for espionage and cooperation with Israel, but did not confirm that such a charge had been formally brought against Davoudi. Davoudi was transferred to Isfahan Central Prison after he was unable to post bail.