as part of an effort to embarrass the regime into freeing political prisoners.
Sotoudeh, a lawyer, is serving a six-term in prison for defending her clients—in other words, for doing what she was supposed to do.
She has two children—a daughter 11, and a three-year-old son—who are being kept from their mother by her prison term. The boy doesn’t understand why his mother doesn’t come home and seems to feel he has done something wrong and she is punishing him by staying away.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) launched its campaign Monday to help build support for the release of Sotoudeh and highlight the situation of all Iranian prisoners of conscience.
The campaign features a four-minute video entitled “Free Sotoudeh Now.” In the video, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi and others describe Sotoudeh’s commitment to her work and the urgency of a broad international effort to free her.
“Nasrin Sotoudeh is one of the bravest and most outspoken human rights defenders in Iran and her family has been working tirelessly to secure her release,” said Hadi Ghaemi, ICHRI spokesperson.
In addition to the video, the campaign is circulating two letters—one that individuals can send to Iranian officials calling for Sotoudeh’s freedom and the other to the foreign ministers of 25 countries across the world urging them to call for Sotoudeh’s release.
The Free Sotoudeh Project has a companion webpage—www.iranhumanrights.org/nasrin-sotoudeh/—featuring several videos and a slideshow, including a video of Sotoudeh, filmed before her arrest, speaking about juvenile executions in Iran.
“Most people around the world understand that Iranian citizens are often imprisoned for speaking out or joining protests, but they usually can’t name these prisoners,” said Ghaemi. “Hopefully, by putting a name and face on the plight of prisoners of conscience in Iran, we will build momentum towards, not only Sotoudeh’s release, but the release of hundreds of others unjustly behind bars in Iran.”
Sotoudeh was arrested September 4, 2010. She was subsequently charged with “acting against national security” and “propaganda against the regime,” and sentenced in September 2011 by an appeals court to six years in prison and a 10-year ban on legal practice.
ICHRI said the court decision was based entirely on Sotou-deh having worked with Ebadi’s Defenders of Human Rights Center, and for having provided legal representation to protestors and government critics following the 2009 election.