European Parliament Representatives Express Concern Over Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Health

Two officials from human rights bodies in the European Parliament issued a statement expressing concern about human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh’s physical condition. They called on Iranian officials to heed the “call for justice” from this imprisoned human rights advocate.

On Tuesday, August 18, Heidi Hautala, Vice-President for Democracy, Human Rights and the Sakharov Fellowship, and Maria Arena, Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, issued a statement regarding imprisoned lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike and increased pressure on her family.

At the beginning of this statement, published on the European Parliament’s news section website, it states: “We are deeply concerned about the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh, the winner of the Sakharov Prize. For the second time in less than six months, she has put her life at risk through a hunger strike, because Iranian officials refuse to be accountable to any legal requests for the release of human rights defenders and political prisoners of conscience.”

Continuing the statement, while recalling that political and ideological prisoners have been excluded from the Iranian government’s measures to broadly release prisoners in response to the coronavirus outbreak, it emphasized that the situation of these prisoners has worsened amid the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Reference to Mehraveh Khandan’s Arrest

European Parliament representatives, after referring to Nasrin Sotoudeh’s 38-year prison sentence “on fabricated charges,” addressed the arrest of her daughter Mehraveh Khandan and praised Sotoudeh’s courage.

Mehraveh Khandan was arrested on Monday, August 17, at her father’s residence and was released on bail after a few hours of interrogation.

Reporters Without Borders assessed this action as further pressure on her imprisoned mother.

Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike since August 12 in protest against unlawful treatment and the disregard of officials for the right to conditional release of political and ideological prisoners.

This lawyer, who defends critics of the Islamic Republic, was arrested in June 2018 and convicted on charges of “assembly and conspiracy against national security,” “propaganda activity against the system,” membership in the National Peace Council, participation in the campaign against execution, appearing without a hijab at the prosecutor’s office, and “spreading lies and disturbing public opinion” to a total of 33 years imprisonment and 148 lashes, of which 12 years will be enforced according to Islamic Penal Code.

Source: DW