Abdul Fattah Soltani Granted Leave Following the Death of His Young Daughter

Following the untimely death of Abdul Fattah Soltani's young daughter, this imprisoned lawyer was able to attend her mourning ceremony on Saturday, August 13, after multiple rejections of his leave requests. Homa Soltani, Abdul Fattah Soltani's 27-year-old daughter, passed away on Friday night due to cardiac arrest. Saeed Dehghan, Mr. Soltani's lawyer, stated in an interview with ISNA news agency that the duration of his client's leave is unspecified, but it may be extended. Mr. Soltani has been granted leave despite previous refusals for his temporary release and parole. The news of Homa Soltani's death received widespread attention on social media, with some users highlighting the government's treatment of this imprisoned lawyer. Following the announcement, the U.S. State Department also expressed condolences to Mr. Soltani via a tweet. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the special assistant to the Iranian President for citizen rights, also extended her condolences to Mr. Soltani. Abdul Fattah Soltani, a member of the Human Rights Defenders Center, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, which is reduced to ten years under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code. According to Article 134, if an individual has multiple offenses, only the highest punishment is considered. Currently, if Mr. Soltani utilizes his right to parole, he should be released. However, the website 'Kalemeh' published a letter from Abdul Fattah Soltani's lawyers on March 19, 2018, stating that this lawyer has requested a retrial, but the Supreme Court has not even bothered to review the case and has responded negatively to the request within just a few days. Some of the charges against Abdul Fattah Soltani include participation in establishing the Human Rights Defenders Center in prison, receiving the Nuremberg Human Rights Award from Germany, and informing about his clients' cases. Meanwhile, Shirin Ebadi, the head of the Human Rights Defenders Center, previously stated that one of the interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence, known as Mahmoudi, who had previously interrogated him, is also the interrogator for the cases of Narges Mohammadi and Abdul Fattah Soltani. In recent years, several human rights awards, including the annual award from the International Association of Lawyers and the Nuremberg Human Rights Award from Germany, have been granted to Mr. Soltani. Several human rights organizations and Claudia Roth, the Vice President of the German Parliament, have previously called for the release of this lawyer. Abdul Fattah Soltani was also arrested in 2005 and spent 219 days in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. In this case, the court sentenced him to five years in prison and five years of social service deprivation for 'espionage' through revealing information about his clients' cases, who were accused of espionage, but the appeals court acquitted Mr. Soltani of these charges.