The information about Sotoude's release did not specify what charges she was facing. This was also not reported when she was arrested on April 1. The lawyer's release was confirmed by her daughter, Mehrawe Chandan.
Sotoude was imprisoned many times
Sotoude has defended many activists and dissidents in the past, collaborating with, among others, with the Center for Human Rights Defenders – an organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi. She was awarded for her activities, among others: The award is named after Sakharov Prize, awarded in 2012 by the European Parliament.
She was arrested many times and imprisoned for many years. Iranian courts sentenced her, among others, based on articles about threatening national security, membership in illegal groups or inciting people to corruption. In the West she was considered a prisoner of conscience.
On Sunday, the sentence of another well-known Iranian dissident, Narges Mohammadi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her human rights activities, was suspended.
The woman had been serving a prison sentence, with a break, since 2016. In several trials, she was sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison.
In March, Mohammadi suffered a heart attack. Since then, it has been reported that her condition has worsened. The Nobel laureate's attorneys accused the prison authorities of disregarding her illness and failing to provide adequate care. There were appeals from abroad, including from the Norwegian Nobel Committee, to provide her with adequate medical assistance. After being released on bail, Mohammadi was taken to a hospital in Tehran on Sunday.
