Iran arrests lawyer for criticizing execution

TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian lawyer has been arrested for “spreading lies” after saying on social media that a Sufi executed this week was wrongfully convicted.

Mohammed Salas was hanged on Monday after ramming police with a bus as they dispersed a Sufi rally in February, killing three police.

The semi-official Fars news agency says Zeinab Taheri, a lawyer, was arrested Wednesday after criticizing the trial and saying Salas was not guilty.

The head of the Tehran justice department, Gholamhossein Esmaili, said Tuesday that Taheri was never a lawyer for Salas and did not have reliable information on the case.

Iran’s clerically overseen government frowns on Sufism, the mystical strain of Islam. Many hardliners view it as a deviation from the faith.