Call to Lift Work Ban on Nasrin Sotoudeh

More than 20 political and civil activists wrote an open letter on Tuesday to the president and board members of the Bar Association protesting the work ban imposed on Nasrin Sotoudeh and demanding its removal. In their letter, the activists requested the Bar Association's president to explain the crime that led to Sotoudeh's disqualification from practicing law. The letter also requested that an official report based on civil and criminal law principles regarding Sotoudeh's disqualification be sent to the International Bar Association, with a copy published for her clients' information. Among the signatories of this letter are Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi, Mohammad Maleki, the first president of Tehran University after the revolution, Narges Mohammadi, vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Center, economist Fariborz Raisdana, and documentary filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad. Mohammad Maleki stated, "The Bar Association's job is to defend lawyers. Ms. Sotoudeh was unfairly imprisoned for a time because she defended certain individuals, without receiving any payment. I attended a meeting at the Bar Association where they voted that she could continue her work. Then, the Ministry of Intelligence objected, and she was banned again. She has said that as long as she is banned, she cannot work, so she stands in front of the Bar Association holding a sign that says, 'The right to work is the right of dissenters.' No one can be deprived of their right to work. This letter was written to the Bar Association, which should defend its lawyers. They wrote that you must act. Defend the vote you initially gave, which was later overturned by security officials, etc. This letter was written to ensure that this respected lady is not deprived of her right to work and that the Bar Association lifts this ruling as soon as possible." Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, has been protesting her disqualification from practicing law for over 170 days by going to the Bar Association's office in Tehran, holding a placard that reads, 'The right to work is the right of dissenters.' This protest often turns into a gathering of solidarity with some of her colleagues, political and civil activists, or even ordinary citizens. Sotoudeh, who represented several journalists and political and civil activists, was arrested in 2009 on charges of acting against national security and propaganda against the regime, and was sentenced to six years in prison. After serving three years, she was released in September 2013, but a year later, she was banned from practicing law for three years by the disciplinary court of lawyers.