Senator Menendez: Islamic Republic Must Immediately and Unconditionally Release Nasrin Sotoudeh
Robert Menendez, a member of the U.S. Senate, said on Thursday, September 20, that Nasrin Sotoudeh, an Iranian human rights defender, should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
This senior Democratic senator continued his message on Twitter, stating that he had previously called for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s release on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
He added that Iran must immediately and unconditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh and end her hunger strike before her condition deteriorates further.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Islamic Republic on charges including “gathering and conspiracy against national security, spreading lies and disturbing public opinion” for defending political prisoners, began her hunger strike on August 12 of this year in protest against the Islamic Republic’s mistreatment of prisoners and its failure to respect their rights.
Concurrently with Sotoudeh’s renewed imprisonment, 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 express solidarity with Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iran’s imprisoned human rights lawyer. As she has said: The relentless efforts of women have ultimately proven that women can no longer be ignored, regardless of support for or opposition to them.”
Likewise, the Women’s Affairs Office of the U.S. State Department also declared its support and expressed deep concern for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s health, calling on Iran’s regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been wrongfully detained.
Source: Voice of America
