Letter from Nasrin Sotoudeh from Prison about ‘Creative and Peaceful Efforts’ to End Mandatory Hijab; This Right Will Soon Return to Us

“Nasrin Sotoudeh,” a lawyer and imprisoned civil activist in Evin, published a letter praising women’s efforts for “freedom” and “the right to choose clothing” and criticized the issuance of lengthy sentences for these women.

Nasrin Sotoudeh wrote in her letter, which was released on Tuesday, August 29 (Mordad 29) on the website and social media networks of the organization “Amnesty International,” stating: “The effort that Iranian women are making today for freedom and the right to choose their clothing is admirable. This admiration is above all due to the peaceful method they have chosen, and in return they have faced sentences totaling hundreds of years.”

Ms. Sotoudeh described women’s efforts to end mandatory hijab as “creative and peaceful.”

She also wrote, referring to the role of women in past decades: “24/7 control targeted their personality, body, soul, and spirit, but contrary to expectations, they grew and flourished.”

The civil activist further alluded to the movement of the revolution’s daughters and white headscarves placed on sticks in the streets, and wrote about the peaceful struggle of women including Yasmin Aryani, Monirey Arabshahi, and Mozgan Keshavarz: “The footsteps of the girls of Revolution Street left flowers, and in the metro and on the streets they gave flowers to their peers. But for every flower branch, they received years of imprisonment and were sent to prison without complaint.”

Yasmin Aryani, Monirey Arabshahi, and Mozgan Keshavarz, as opponents of mandatory hijab, have been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and on the other hand, Mozgan Keshavarz has also been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on charges of “insulting sacred values.”

Ms. Sotoudeh wrote in her letter, thanking those who were interrogated for supporting her, that “I direct my attention and that of my compatriots to our collective effort to promote collective wisdom, beyond individuals and persons. Let the world watch in wonder at our collective effort for a normal and fundamental right. This right will return to us in not too distant a day.”

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and civil activist, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison in her final judgment, and according to Islamic Penal Code, 12 years of this sentence will be executed for her.

Nasrin Sotoudeh has been in detention since June 23 (Khordad 23), and her detention as a human rights activist has resulted in protests from the U.S. State Department and international human rights organizations.

Amnesty International recently announced that more than one million people in more than 200 countries and regions of the world signed a petition for the freedom of Nasrin Sotoudeh and expressed their anger at the conviction of this prominent Iranian human rights lawyer.

The U.S. State Department recently condemned the severe suppression of women’s rights activists in Iran by the Islamic Republic regime in a statement and called for an end to the harassment, torture, and imprisonment of women who are only demanding their basic and fundamental rights.

Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, wrote on her Twitter page on Wednesday, August 23 (Mordad 23): “We condemn the Iranian regime for sentencing 55 years in prison for Yasmin Aryani, Monirey Arabshahi, and Mozgan Keshavarz for their opposition to mandatory hijab, while they had only given red flowers.”

Ms. Ortagus, who used the hashtag “White Wednesdays” in English (#whitewednesdays) in her tweet, called on all countries to condemn this serious and grave violation of human rights.