Nasser Zarafshan

Nasser Zarafshan is a human rights lawyer who represented the families of Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, two writers murdered in the chain murders. He publicly challenged the official narrative that the killings were the work of 'rogue agents,' arguing that the fatwa authorising the murders came from senior clerical figures. He stated: 'The problem is not to which faction the perpetrators belong, but to which faction the issuer of the fatwa belongs.' On 19 March 2002, Zarafshan was sentenced to five years in prison — two years for 'disseminating state secrets' and three years for allegedly possessing firearms — plus 70 lashes for possessing alcohol. His bail was set at $50,000, four times the bail of some of the accused murderers. His imprisonment was widely condemned by international human rights organisations and PEN International.