Defense Attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh Sues Evin Prison Officials

Iran-HRM – Prominent human rights lawyer who has been imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison since June 2018 filed a complaint against the head and the judicial deputy of Evin Prison on Sunday, November 11, 2018, for issuing a ban on her visiting rights.

Payam Derafshan, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s attorney, said on Sunday, “The lawsuit filed by Nasrin Sotoudeh against the head and the judicial deputy of Evin Prison was accepted by the Court of Government Employees and referred to the Inspector’s First Branch for investigation.”

After filing the complaint, Mr. Derafshan and Ms. Sotoudeh’s other lawyer appeared before the Inspector’s, explaining the illegal measures of the head and the judicial deputy of Evin Prison. (The official IRNA news agency – November 11, 2018)

Sotoudeh has been detained since June 13, 2018, after security agents unexpectedly appeared at her home and took her to Evin Prison in Tehran. Once inside the prison, Sotoudeh learned she would be serving a five-year prison sentence issued to her in absentia by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh in 2015 and that she was facing multiple other charges.

In October 2018, Sotoudeh sued Moghiseh for unlawfully sentencing her.

One of Iran’s most prominent human rights defenders, Sotoudeh is facing two national security charges for legally representing women who have been charged for peacefully protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab law by removing their headscarves in public.

From 2010-13, she served three years in Evin Prison for peacefully practicing her legal profession. In September 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux Human Rights Prize for her commitment to human rights and the independence of the legal profession. Sotoudeh was also awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2012.

In July 2018, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei calling for Sotoudeh’s immediate release.