Prisoner lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh's condition worsens following hunger strike in prison
On the ninth day of Nasrin Sotoudeh's hunger strike, the husband of the lawyer and human rights activist imprisoned in Iran has reported that her condition is deteriorating.
Reza Khandan, Ms. Sotoudeh's husband, announced the news on his Facebook page that Ms. Sotoudeh had been transferred to the Evin Prison infirmary at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19. He added: "One of Nasrin's fellow prisoners who came on leave today said that Nasrin intended to refuse to drink fluids in protest of Mehraveh's arrest."
Reza Khandan also announced that due to limited phone numbers in the Evin Women's Ward, they will not hear from Nasrin Sotoudeh until Saturday evening.
Previously, Nasrin Sotoudeh's lawyer had announced that her client had gone on a hunger strike to protest the failure to observe the principles of fair trial in the trial process and the failure to respect the rights of political prisoners while serving their sentences.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and imprisoned civil activist, announced on Tuesday, August 11, in a letter, a copy of which was sent to Voice of America by Reza Khandan, Ms. Sotoudeh's husband, that she had gone on a hunger strike to protest the failure to release political prisoners amid the coronavirus crisis and the "cruel conditions" in the Islamic Republic's prisons.
This is not the first time Ms. Sotoudeh has gone on a hunger strike. On Monday, March 16, she was among the political prisoners who went on a hunger strike by issuing a statement in response to the prevention of the release of political prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent days, and in continuation of the pressure on the families of political prisoners in Iran, Mehraveh Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh's daughter, was released on bail after being arrested and transferred to the Evin District Court.
Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the US State Department, recently tweeted on the occasion of International Women's Day, referring to Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran, and expressed solidarity with Iranian "brave women" and wrote: "On this International Women's Day, I stand in solidarity with Nasrin Sotoudeh, an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer. As she said: Women's relentless efforts have finally proven that, regardless of whether we support or oppose them, women can no longer be ignored."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said in a press conference: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been imprisoned illegally, in these circumstances the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison."
The US State Department's Office of Women's Affairs has also expressed support and deep concern for the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh and called on the Iranian regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained.
Source: Voice of America
