Jailed Iranian lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 11 years in prison as well as 20 years ban from travel abroad and from legal practice.
Her husband, Reza Khandan informed the Human Rights Reporters Committee that they now have 20 days to appeal the sentence.
Reza Khandan also added that Sotoudeh was given one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime while for the two other charges of “activities against national security and failing to adhere to Islamic hijab (head covering) in a filmed speech” she was given five years each.
Khandan reported that her wife was very distressed over the heavy sentence that she has received.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, whose practice mainly focused on human rights violation cases, was arrested on September 4 and has been in Evin Prison since.
She has gone on hunger strike twice to protest against her inappropriate treatment in jail and the legal proceedings of her case.
Her arrest has been protested by several human rights activists and organizations both in Iran and abroad.
The most recent protest was a three-day sit-in organized by seven Iranian women activists including Nobel Peace laureate, Shirin Ebadi in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva on December 19.
On the third day, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay issued a letter addressed to Ebadi stating that she will follow up on Sotoudeh’s case and other Iranian political prisoners through all legal channels open to her and her office.
