Nasser Seraj, a senior Iranian judiciary official accused of abuses by rights groups, has been appointed as the secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights and the judiciary's deputy for international affairs.

According to US-based Human Right Activists In Iran (HRAI)'s Spreading Justice website which documents rights abuses in Iran, Seraj "was directly involved in the issuance of death sentences for corruption and consequently is responsible for the violation of the right to life."

Mizan News Agency, the judiciary’s official outlet, reported Saturday that judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei appointed Seraj to replace Kazem Gharibabadi, who had held the position since 2021.

Seraj, formerly the judiciary chief’s political deputy, has held key judicial roles, including Tehran’s military prosecutor, judiciary advisor, head of the General Inspection Organization, Supreme Court deputy, and deputy justice minister.

As a judge, Seraj presided over the trial of the 2011 $3 billion embezzlement case, sentencing four men to death. One of those convicted, businessman Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, was executed in 2014 without prior notice to his family or defense attorney.

HRAI's Spreading Justice website says that the rushed execution was intended to prevent Amir Khosravi from exposing the names of government officials involved in the corruption scandal.

The rights group also says Seraj played a key role in restricting press freedom by overseeing the selection of the Press Supervisory Jury, which has been involved in shutting down newspapers and censoring media.