Amid Iran’s oppressive crackdown on dissent, activist and artist Reza Khandan, husband of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, faces brutal imprisonment for championing women’s rights and freedom of choice.
Imagine you are going about your day—at work, at home, with friends, with family—always burdened by the knowledge that at any time the police could knock on your door and take you away. That is life for people in authoritarian regimes around the world … and last week that fear came true for my friend Reza Khandan.
Reza is an activist, graphic designer, father of two and the husband of renowned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh. He is now in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, facing a three-and-a-half-year sentence (on top of time already served) for supporting women’s rights in Iran.
My wife Marcia Ross and I first got to know Reza eight years ago while producing a documentary about Nasrin’s life and work. In a Zoom call with Nasrin right after Reza’s arrest, Marcia said, “Reza always projects so much warmth and positivity, but it’s clear that under his sweetness is a defiant strength. He’ll never give up what he thinks is right.”
In 2018, Nasrin was arrested and imprisoned for her legal work representing women who protested Iran’s compulsory hijab laws by publicly removing their headscarves. She was held for over three years until her declining health forced the authorities to grant her a medical furlough.
Soon after Nasrin’s arrest, Reza and fellow activist Dr. Farhad Meysami bought a small, hand-cranked button-making machine, and together made thousands of buttons that said in Farsi, “I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab.” Before they could finish, their homes and offices were raided, the buttons were confiscated, and they were sent to the men’s ward of the same prison that held Nasrin.
Reza was released on bail after 111 days. Meysami was released in February 2023 after a four-month hunger strike.
On Friday, Dec. 13, of this year, around 1:00 p.m., came the feared knock on the door.
On our Zoom call, Nasrin explained what happened:
[…]
