The U.S. is “concerned” after learning on Thursday that Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested in Iran, according to a statement released by U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
“We call on Iranian authorities to release her immediately, along with the hundreds of others who are currently imprisoned simply for expressing their views and desires for a better life,” the statement said.
Sotoudeh defended several of the 29 women who were arrested in February by authorities in Tehran after they were seen in public without their hijabs, which are mandated in the country. (RELATED: Lifting The Veil In Iran)
Upon her arrest, she was told she would be serving a five-year sentence after being in absentia, but she had “no idea” what crime the sentence was related to, according to her husband Reza Khandan, who was present with his 18-year-old daughter when Sotoudeh was arrested.
She was previously arrested in 2010 and served six years in jail and had her law firm banned from practicing after she was convicted of spreading propaganda and attempting to harm state security.
The longtime champion for juveniles’, journalists’ and activists’ rights was arrested at her house on Wednesday when authorities raided her home and took her to the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, according to the press statement by the U.S. State Department.
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