Iranian human rights lawyer given temporary release from prison: judiciary
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been allowed out of prison on a temporary basis, the Iranian judiciary’s news agency reported on Saturday.
Mizan News agency reported that Sotoudeh was given leave “upon consent of the women’s prison prosecutor.”
Sotoudeh, a prominent lawyer who represented women arrested after participating in demonstrations against compulsory hijab laws, was herself arrested in 2018. Accused of acting against national security, she was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
She undertook several hunger strikes in protest against horrific prison conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, during which many political prisoners have been left in jail despite being eligible for temporary release. In September she was briefly hospitalized after 40 days of a hunger strike.
In late October, she expected to be returned to hospital for emergency testing on her heart, but was instead moved from Evin prison to Qarchak prison, notorious for its poor conditions, and her daughter was summoned to court.
“In a continuation of security pressures on Nasrin and our family members, Mehraveh, our 20 year old daughter, has been summoned to court,” tweeted Sotoudeh’s husband Reza Khandan.
Mizan News agency reported that Sotoudeh was given leave “upon consent of the women’s prison prosecutor.”
Sotoudeh, a prominent lawyer who represented women arrested after participating in demonstrations against compulsory hijab laws, was herself arrested in 2018. Accused of acting against national security, she was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
She undertook several hunger strikes in protest against horrific prison conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, during which many political prisoners have been left in jail despite being eligible for temporary release. In September she was briefly hospitalized after 40 days of a hunger strike.
In late October, she expected to be returned to hospital for emergency testing on her heart, but was instead moved from Evin prison to Qarchak prison, notorious for its poor conditions, and her daughter was summoned to court.
“In a continuation of security pressures on Nasrin and our family members, Mehraveh, our 20 year old daughter, has been summoned to court,” tweeted Sotoudeh’s husband Reza Khandan.