WUNRN
Iran Women’s Rights Activists
Protest in Solidarity
Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh was imprisoned in September 2010. She is currently serving a six-year prison term on the charge of acting against national security. (free_sotoudeh_s (cc) sabzphoto)
Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer and One Million Signatures campaigner Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been on hunger strike since October 17, is reported to be in critical condition. Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh’s husband, reports that her health has deteriorated significantly and that her weight has dropped below 94 pounds (43 kilograms). In reprisal for the hunger strike, Sotoudeh was forced to spend 20 days in solitary confinement.
Sotoudeh began the hunger strike to protest denial of visitation rights, an 18-month restriction on phone calls, and the international travel ban placed on her 12-year-old daughter. She has agreed to end the hunger strike if the state drops the latter restriction.
On Sunday December 2, dozens of women’s
rights activists demonstrated in front of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in
Sotoudeh’s case has received world-wide
attention, with many groups and governments calling for her release. On
November 30, the
Nasrin Sotoudeh, imprisoned in September
2010, is currently serving a 6-year prison term and a 10-year ban on practicing
law on the charge of acting against national security for her work with the
Centre for Defenders of Human Rights. The NGO was co-founded by