Nasrin Soutoudeh

Iran: Human rights defender Ms Nasrin Sotoudeh sentenced to 11 years in prisonposted on: 2011/01/12

Human rights defender Ms Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, and banned from practicing as a lawyer and leaving the country for 20 years after an allegedly unfair trial.

Further Information

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent human rights lawyer, who in particular has worked with juvenile prisoners facing the death penalty as well as prisoners of conscience; her past clients have included Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi as well as a number of political prisoners who were taken into custody during the unrest that followed the disputed Iranian presidential election in June 2009.

She is also a member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre and the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. Nasrin Sotoudeh has been the subject of a previous Front Line Urgent Appeal dated 8 September 2010.

On 9 January 2011, Nasrin Sotoudeh's lawyers were informed that she had been sentenced by the 26th Branch of the Revolutionary Court to 11 years in prison and banned from both working as a lawyer and leaving Iran for 20 years.

Iran

Iran: Nasrin Sotoudeh's ends hunger strike due to deteriorating health - interrogators tell lawyer they control her trial outcomeposted on: 2010/12/21

According to reports received Nasrin Soutoudeh has ended her hunger strike due to her deteriorating health. During questioning she was told by her interrogators that they controlled the outcome of her trial and she would receive a sentence of at least 10 years even before the judge has made his decision.

Report from Iran

Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh's husband, discussed her latest situation during an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. "She called me fifteen minutes ago and we talked. The news about her transfer to the prison infirmary was accurate. She told me today that her condition deteriorated on Wednesday and she had to be taken to the infirmary.

It seems her condition became very dangerous on Thursday, and she was forced to break her hunger strike".

"Ms. Sotoudeh told me the last time that her prison interrogators have told her 'we won't let the judge give you less than ten years in prison".

"I gave her the messages from all her friends, public figures, and activists, and this made her very happy and she thanked everyone. I also told her about the sit-in of women's rights activists in front of the UN.

Iran

Iran:Nasrin Sotoudeh ends hunger strike but faces further court hearings

While Front Line welcomes reports that Nasrin Soutoudeh has ended her hunger strike the organisation remains concerned for her well being and reiterates its call for her immediate and unconditional release.

"Sotoudeh Ends Hunger Strike Following Trial Session (15 November 2010) Nasrin Sotoudeh’s first trial was held today at Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Pir-Abbasi. A source knowledgeable about Sotoudeh’s prosecution told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that, "She was very weak and has lost a lot of weight. After the trial, she took the advice of her lawyers and husband and agreed to break her hunger strike."

According to this source, Judge Pir-Abbasi agreed to reconsider the order to renew Sotoudeh’s detention. "The trial was held in the presence of Sotoudeh’s lawyers, Abdolfattah Soltani, Mina Jaafari, and Nasim Ghanavi.