First court hearing of prominent human rights lawyer

Prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s court hearing concerning the suspension of her legal license was postponed Sunday by the Iran Bar Association.

Jailed Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been hauled before the disciplinary tribunal of Iran’s Bar Association, after the judiciary called for the cancellation of her lawyer’s permit.

Sotoudeh’s case was held in one of the rooms at the bar association’s headquarters.

Association board member Ms. Keyhani and a number of other lawyers were overseeing the case, and their final verdict was forwarded to the appeals court to be considered at a later date.

Sotoudeh has only recently been transferred to the general ward of the Evin Prison after months in solitary confinement. In a letter to her husband, Reza Khanadan, Sotoudeh reportedly has written: “They want to set up a trial to revoke my license to practice law. With or without my license, I object to these sentences. Protesting against unjust sentences does not require a license to practice law.”

Sotoudeh was defence attorney for several protesters who demonstrated against the 2009 presidential election. Her practice also focused on human rights cases and the defence of political and women’s rights activists, as well as juvenile offenders sentenced to death.

She was arrested last September and sentenced to 11 years in prison and a 20-year ban from practicing law.

Dozens of women’s rights activists and Sotoudeh’s clients gathered at the bar association to meet with her briefly. Pictures of the defiant jailed lawyer in handcuffs, including an image of her embracing her husband, were posted on several websites, including social networking sites.

At Evin Preison, Sotoudeh has been denied visits from her husband. She is only allowed brief visits with her children, aged 11 and three.

Sotoudeh has gone on several hunger strikes over the past year to protest the violation of her rights as a prisoner.

Human Rights House of IRAN