Radio Zamaneh quotes her husband as saying that he took the couple’s son and daughter to visit their mother at Evin last week and was told by prison officials that she had lost all visiting privileges because of her refusal to wear the chador, often called the “flag of the revolution” by staunch revolutionaries.
Sotoudeh was willing to wear a headscarf, which is the minimum required by state law, but she refused to don the chador, saying that requirement was a violation of her rights.
She also reportedly said that female political prisoners like herself should not even be required to wear the standard prison uniform issued to criminal detainees. Male political prisoners are allowed to wear street clothes in their cells.
Last month, the Judiciary announced that it was no longer requiring women to wear the chador for their court appearances.
That came after ultra-conservatives insisted that criminals should not even be allowed to wear the chador in court because that was an insult to the “flag of the revolution.”
A few months back, Sotoudeh said she would stop seeing her family for prison visits after the guard staff reportedly roughed up her relatives. She later rescinded that and resumed visits.
Her husband says their three-year-old is especially troubled and doesn’t understand why his mother will not come home and read him stories.
Sotoudeh has been sentenced to six years in prison and a 10-year ban on practicing law after that for acting against national security by working with the now-closed Human Rights Defense Center, a legal office created by Shirin Ebadi with her Nobel Peace Prize money.
