The undersigned organizations urge you to take concrete and urgent action in the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh, prominent and well-known lawyer and human rights defender1
She was taken along with other arrested women to the Vozara detention centre, the same one in which
Mahsa Amini died last year3
On Sunday, 29 October, the media broke the news that she had been arrested while attending the
funeral of Armita Garavand, the 16-year-old girl who died ager 28 days in a coma following her arrest
by the infamous Morality Police in the Tehran metro2
She was scheduled to be heard in her case on Monday, 30 October, at Evin prison, but was not brought
to court because she refused to wear a veil.
She was then taken to Qarchak prison, known for its poor conditions of detention, and is currently on
a hunger strike in protest, refusing both essential medication for her health and visits4
The Iranian authoribes must immediately and unconditionally free Nasrin Sotoudeh, drop all charges
against her and stop persecuting her for her efforts to protect, inter alia, women from discrimination
and humiliation to which they are subjected in contravention of the principle of civilization enshrined
in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by Iran in 1948, according to which
‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’ where dignity comes even before rights.
Likewise, the international community, including the EU given its ongoing dialogue with Iran, must
condemn all forms of violence, including executions, discrimination and persecution, recognizing the
freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly and association, as well as the right
to a fair trial, as foundations of civilized living.
We Colleagues, Magistrates, NGOs and civil society are united and resolute in denouncing these
violations of fundamental rights and freedoms and support human rights defenders. We no longer
need martyrs to mourn, but heroes whose examples are to be followed.
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More info at
Iran/UN/Europe etc: Urgent request for intervention in favour of Nasrin Sotoudeh (Joint Statement)
