Nasrin Sotoudeh transferred to hospital from Evin Prison following hunger strike
Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was hospitalized following a hunger strike in prison.
According to the Associated Press, Ms. Sotoudeh's husband, Reza Khandan, announced on Saturday, September 10, that she had been transferred from Evin Prison to a hospital in northern Tehran.
Reza Khandan said medical experts decided to hospitalize Nasrin Sotoudeh due to heart and respiratory problems and low blood pressure.
According to Voice of America, this human rights defender and prisoner's lawyer has been on a hunger strike in prison since Tuesday, August 12, after all of his correspondence with prison officials, the Prisons Organization, and judiciary officials regarding prisoners' rights, living conditions inside prison, in-person visits, prisoners' leave, and the issuance of long-term prison sentences for political prisoners went unanswered over the past weeks and months.
Senior US Democrat Robert Menendez tweeted on Thursday, September 10, that Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh should never have been imprisoned in the first place. He continued his tweet by writing, “Iran must immediately and unconditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh and end her hunger strike before her condition worsens.”
Previously, the US State Department's Office of Women's Affairs also expressed support and deep concern for the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh, calling on the Iranian regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Islamic Republic on charges such as "gathering and colluding against national security, spreading lies, and disturbing public opinion" for defending political prisoners, began her hunger strike on August 11 of this year to protest the Islamic Republic's mistreatment of prisoners and failure to respect their rights.
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.
Source: Voice of America
