Following Hunger Strike in Prison; Imprisoned Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Condition Deteriorates
On the ninth day of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike, the wife of this imprisoned lawyer and human rights activist in Iran reported that her condition has worsened.
Reza Khandan, Ms. Sotoudeh’s husband, wrote on his Facebook page announcing this news that Ms. Sotoudeh was transferred to Evin Prison’s infirmary at 7 PM on Wednesday, August 29. He added: “One of Nasrin’s cellmates who came on leave today said that Nasrin intended to protest Mehraveh’s arrest by also refraining from consuming liquids.”
Reza Khandan also announced that due to the limited phone access in the women’s ward of Evin Prison until Saturday evening, they will be without news from Nasrin Sotoudeh.
Previously, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s lawyer had announced that his client went on a hunger strike in protest of the non-observance of fair trial principles in the trial process and the non-observance of the rights of political prisoners during the serving of their sentences.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, an imprisoned lawyer and civil rights activist, on Tuesday, August 12, by publishing a letter that was sent by Reza Khandan, Ms. Sotoudeh’s husband, to Voice of America, announced that in protest of the failure to release political prisoners amid the coronavirus pandemic and the “oppressive conditions” in the prisons of the Islamic Republic, she has begun a hunger strike.
This is not the first time Ms. Sotoudeh has gone on a hunger strike. On Monday, March 16, she was among political prisoners who, by publishing a statement in response to the prevention of political prisoners’ release amid the coronavirus outbreak, began a hunger strike.
In recent days and in continuation of pressures on the families of political prisoners in Iran, Mehraveh Khandan, the daughter of Nasrin Sotoudeh, after being arrested and transferred to Evin Prosecutor’s Office, was released on bail.
Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, recently posted a tweet on the occasion of International Women’s Day, and while referring to “Nasrin Sotoudeh,” an imprisoned lawyer in Iran, expressed solidarity with “brave Iranian” women and wrote: “On this International Women’s Day, I declare solidarity with Nasrin Sotoudeh, imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer. As she has said: the tireless efforts of women ultimately proved that, regardless of support or opposition to them, women can no longer be ignored.”
Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, recently said at a press conference: “We have asked not only Syria, but the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned under these conditions. This is a humanitarian measure, and beyond the fact that these individuals have been unlawfully imprisoned, under these circumstances, the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison.”
The Office of Women’s Affairs of the U.S. State Department also announced its support and expressed deep concern for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s health, requesting the Iranian regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been unjustly arrested.
Source: Voice of America
