Nasrin Sotoudeh Meets Her Husband Without Mandatory Hijab in Evin Prison

Nasrin Sotoudeh announced that she successfully met with her husband, Reza Khandan, in Evin Prison on Wednesday, January 5, without wearing a mandatory hijab. The human rights lawyer shared images of her presence in front of Evin Prison without the mandatory hijab alongside her son on her Instagram account, stating that after 12 days, she was able to meet her husband. Referring to the 'unexpected closure everywhere,' she said, 'My children and I were upset due to the cancellation of all visits. Early this morning, Reza called and said the visit was on. We went and saw him.' Nasrin Sotoudeh noted that her husband was 'smiling as usual' and added, 'As usual, it was my challenge, and the prison guards were concerned about the mandatory hijab... When I asked if it was mandatory, they said no. But when Reza came for the visit, they told him again, and Reza's response was that he could not force her to wear a hijab; if you want, my wife says she will go back.' This human rights lawyer mentioned that Reza Khandan was on 'the third day of his hunger strike,' stating, 'In the visiting hall, he was happier than ever, and especially Nima enjoyed it a lot as his father spoke with him the most.' Also see: Reza Khandan went on hunger strike; a prisoner died in Evin quarantine. Nasrin Sotoudeh, who herself has been a political prisoner for years, recalled memories of meeting her family when her children were young, stating, 'This time, Reza and I have switched places.' She said, 'When father and son spoke like two men, scenes from Nima's childhood came to my mind when during his visits with me, he would place his small hands between me and anyone I was talking to and turn my chin towards himself.' Reza Khandan, a civil activist, was arrested at his home by the police on Friday, December 23, to execute a sentence related to a case from 2018. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a well-known Iranian lawyer and Reza Khandan's wife, told Voice of America that he was arrested by security police at the 138th precinct in Jannatabad on Friday afternoon. According to Ms. Sotoudeh, the officers initially told her husband that he needed to come to the precinct to explain a traffic violation, but upon his insistence, they were forced to show him the arrest warrant related to a ruling from six years ago. Abram Paley, the Deputy Special Representative of the United States for Iran, recently condemned Reza Khandan's arrest by Iranian authorities and emphasized the need for his immediate release. Nasrin Sotoudeh stated in an interview with Voice of America that her husband was arrested and imprisoned based on a prison sentence for a closed case. This case was formed for producing pixels of 'I protest against mandatory hijab.'