Global Petition with Over One Million Signatures Calls for Freedom of Nasrin Sotoudeh
Amnesty International announced that over one million people from 200 countries worldwide have signed a petition calling for the freedom of Nasrin Sotoudeh. The lawyer and human rights activist has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, among other charges including “action against national security.”
According to Amnesty International, over one million people in 200 countries have participated in the human rights organization’s campaign and signed a petition demanding the release of Nasrin Sotoudeh from prison.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and recipient of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, has been in Evin Prison for the past year.
Ms. Sotoudeh has been accused of “assembly and collusion against national security, propaganda activities against the system, effective membership in the illegal and anti-security group Center for Defenders of Human Rights, LEGAM (Campaign to Abolish Capital Punishment step by step), and National Peace Council, inciting people to corruption and obscenity and facilitating it, appearing without proper Islamic hijab at the office of the prosecutor, disrupting public order and peace, and spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.” She has been sentenced to a total of 33 years imprisonment and 148 lashes, of which according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, 12 years are “enforceable.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh’s lawyer stated on August 14, 2018 that two new cases have been opened for his client, and Ms. Sotoudeh has been accused by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of “espionage” in addition to charges of “propaganda against the system” and “insulting the supreme leader.”
Amnesty International, coinciding with the passage of one year since Nasrin Sotoudeh’s imprisonment, has called for her unconditional release and announced that signatures collected from around the world will be sent today, Thursday, June 13, to the representatives of the Islamic Republic in various countries worldwide.
The number of signatories of the global petition for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s freedom reached 1,188,381 by last Monday, June 10.
“A Clear Message” for the Islamic Republic
Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa section, described the “brutal” prison and lashing sentence against Nasrin Sotoudeh as revealing “the depth of repression by Iranian authorities on an international scale.”
The director of Amnesty International’s Middle East section, referring to the fact that “today we are sending them [Islamic Republic officials] a clear message,” explained the organization’s “message”: “That the world is watching your actions and our campaign will continue until Nasrin Sotoudeh is free.”
Marcus N. Beeko, the human rights organization’s representative in Germany, also said: “Amnesty International today, along with one million people around the world, once again demands the immediate and unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh.”
Amnesty International’s representative in Germany added: “If someone like Nasrin Sotoudeh works peacefully for women’s rights or against capital punishment, not only should she not be punished, but she should be supported with all means.”
According to Marcus N. Beeko: “Ms. Sotoudeh is one of many people in Iran who are being prosecuted and punished for their activities against human rights violations.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh has represented many cases of political and human rights activists and has repeatedly faced security confrontations. The representation of a number of women protesting mandatory hijab in Iran, known as “Girls of Revolution Street,” has been among her most recent cases.
Nasrin Sotoudeh was previously arrested in September 2010 while representing several political prisoners and was sentenced to six years imprisonment and 10 years deprivation of the right to practice law. The lawyer was subsequently released in September 2013 after serving three years in prison. Ms. Sotoudeh was arrested again at her home on June 13 of last year and has been in Evin Prison since.
Source: DW
