The trial has begun in Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mohammad Saleh Nikbakht -- the famed lawyer for the family of the 22-year-old Iranian woman whose death in police custody has led to months of mass protests, local media reported on August 30.
The Iranian Etemaad newspaper reported that Nikbakht was notified on August 29 in an initial hearing that he faces charges of "propaganda against the system" stemming from having spoken to local and foreign media involving the “Mahsa Amini affair in particular."
The report said Nikbakht's lawyer urged for his acquittal, saying he had "only criticized the running of the country by the authorities."
If convicted, Nikbakht faces a prison term of one to three years.
Nikbakht has a long history of representing Iranian personalities in rights-related cases, including most recently that of the acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was released from prison days after going on a hunger strike to protest “the illegal and inhumane behavior" of Iran's judiciary and security apparatus.
Beyond the dispute over Amini's death, the lawyer's comments on a range of issues, from women's rights to motorcycle driving licenses to the treatment of Afghan migrants, have been cited as evidence of his alleged propaganda activities.
Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman who was arrested while visiting Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s mandatory head-scarf law law, died in police custody nearly one year ago.
Nikbakht was vocal in media interviews, assailing the official findings on the cause of Amini's death, which authorities blamed on health issues.
Amini’s family and supporters rejected the official explanation, saying witnesses saw her being beaten when arrested.
Amini's death prompted thousands of Iranians to take to the streets nationwide to demand more freedoms and women's rights. The widespread unrest, which continues, represents the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has said the unrest led to the deaths of at least 587 people, including dozens of children and other youths.
The government, fearing a flare up in protests ahead of the first anniversary of Amini's death on September 16, has ramped up its crackdown against activists and families of those killed in the protests.