Nasrin Sotoudeh Returns to Qarchak Prison
The prosecutor’s office did not approve the extension of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s medical leave. She returned to Qarchak while unable to embrace her children due to coronavirus infection. Meanwhile, several human rights organizations called for her release and the lifting of the travel ban on her husband.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, returned to prison on Wednesday evening, December 3rd, after 25 days of medical leave. She had gone on medical leave on November 8th, and a few days later tested positive for coronavirus.
Sotoudeh’s husband told Deutsche Welle before her return that according to a legal medical prescription, she should remain in quarantine for another two weeks, but the relevant prosecutor’s office did not approve the extension of her leave. Reza Khandan had reported that his wife’s case had been transferred to a regular prosecutor’s office which, “due to fear and ignorance of political cases, fully executes any order that comes from above.”
Before returning to prison, Ms. Sotoudeh expressed concern about the situation of Ahmadrezā Jalali, a researcher sentenced to death, and called on everyone to make efforts to save the life of this physician. She said that during her leave, due to coronavirus infection, she was unable to embrace her children.
Simultaneously with Ms. Sotoudeh’s return to Qarchak prison, human rights organizations including the International Bar Association, Human Rights Campaign in Iran, PEN America, and the Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights, issued a statement calling for the cancellation of her prison sentence and the removal of the two-year travel ban on her husband.
Earlier, 38 members of the German Parliament had written a letter to Hassan Rouhani during this 57-year-old human rights defender’s leave, calling for her release.
Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, and Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, also issued a statement calling for a review of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s charges and her release.
Nasrin Sotoudeh’s return to Evin Prison comes as Amnesty International also welcomed her leave but called for her unconditional release as a human rights activist.
In recent years, Sotoudeh has received prestigious awards for her human rights activities and resistance to pressures in the Islamic Republic, including the Sakharov Prize, the World Pen Association award, and the European Human Rights Award and the German Judges Association Human Rights Award.
For defending political detainees and women’s rights activists, she has been convicted on charges such as “conspiracy against national security,” “propaganda activity against the system,” and “opposition to capital punishment” to 33 years imprisonment and 148 lashes, of which 12 years are enforceable under Islamic Penal Code.
Nasrin Sotoudeh has been imprisoned since 2018 after defending one of the protesters against mandatory hijab.
Source: DW
