Saleh Nikbakht

Nikbakht is from Saqqez and studied law and hold a doctoral degree from Tehran University. Nikbakht was involved in controversial cases including Hashem Aghajari,[2] Abbas Abdi, Emad Baghi and 2009 presidential election detainees. Nikbakht is representing former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh, ex-government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, former deputy economy minister Mohsen Safai-Farahani and former vice-president Mohammad Ali Abtahi.[3]

Nikbakht is the lawyer for the family of Mahsa Jina Amini, whose death in 2022 triggered widespread protests throughout Iran.[4] In August 2023, he was subsequently charged with "propaganda against the state" by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran; his lawyer has alleged these charges stemmed from his interviews with domestic and foreign media outlets.[5]

In October 2023, Saleh Nikbakht was called to court on the charge of propagandizing against the Islamic Republic of Iran during an interview with Persian-language TV channels outside Iran about the case of Mahsa Jina Amini, and was finally sentenced to one year in prison and two years of being banned from using cyberspace.[6] In this regard, his lawyer stated that there is no evidence of propaganda against the regime in Nikbakht's interviews.[7][8]

• Defenders of Human Rights Center
• Mahsa Amini