Nasrin Sotoudeh: The Sentence of Shajariyeh is for 'Creating Fear and Deterrence for Others'

Nasrin Sotoudeh, the lawyer of Shaparak Shajariyeh, one of the 'Girls of Revolution Street' who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for protesting against compulsory hijab, objected to the ruling issued for her client, stating that its purpose is to create 'fear and terror and serve as a lesson for others.' Sotoudeh, who also represents several other 'Girls of Revolution Street,' was arrested on June 13 following a complaint from the investigator of Shajariyeh's case and is currently in Evin prison. After the news of her sentencing to two years of imprisonment and 18 years of suspended prison was published, Shajariyeh announced in a video message that she had left Iran due to the injustice of the judiciary and pressures on herself and her child. In a letter addressed to Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, Sotoudeh expressed her objection to the ruling against Shajariyeh, describing it as 'astonishing.' In response to Dolatabadi's statements regarding the two-year prison sentence and 18 years of suspended prison for Shajariyeh, she wrote, 'As far as I have been outside of prison, sentences of one and two years have been issued for the defendants in these cases.' Sotoudeh speculated that the judge issued this ruling in the last case that was held two days before her arrest. She elaborated on the possible reasons for this ruling, which has 'astonished public opinion,' stating that the judge, aware of her client's travel abroad, issued such a ruling to create 'fear and terror and serve as a lesson for others,' which has currently become a trend in the judiciary of the Islamic Republic. This lawyer also suggested that her own arrest order, 'if the above assumption is correct, was not without reason as the lawyer of the case,' and the complaint from the investigator sent from Kashan was 'not coincidental and not a personal decision.' She also criticized the issuance of two years of imprisonment and 18 years of suspended prison for protesting against hijab while the judiciary of the Islamic Republic remains 'silent' against acid attackers and assaulters. This lawyer addressed the Tehran prosecutor, stating that even if 'you ask your judges to make their sentences three digits, increase your imprisonments, use ugly words, it will not yield any results.' Sotoudeh added that these actions of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic will be fruitless, 'because women have decided to rule over their own bodies, and our men also avoid such behaviors that insult their personality and will.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, announced on July 1 without naming names that one of the Girls of Revolution Street had been sentenced to two years of imprisonment and 18 years of suspended prison. He also stated that the prosecutor's office believes that the 18-year prison sentence for this individual 'is not subject to suspension' and that the prosecutor's office will object to this ruling. From Mr. Dolatabadi's remarks, it appears that the prosecutor's office believed that a 20-year prison sentence should be issued for Ms. Shajariyeh. Shaparak Shajariyeh was arrested in early March last year for removing her hijab on Qeytarieh Street in Tehran and was released on bail a few days later. She was also arrested for the second time on May 7 in Kashan along with her young child and was released after about 10 days. During the public protests against compulsory hijab last year, several women were arrested, among them, according to initial rulings, Narges Hosseini was sentenced to two years in prison, Maryam Shari'atmadari to one year in prison, and Shima Babaei to two months in prison. Public protests against compulsory hijab began in December 2017 on Revolution Street in Tehran by a girl named Vida Mohammadi. After that, several other girls in various areas of this street and also in other streets and cities in Iran protested against compulsory hijab by going on heights and removing their head coverings. Wearing hijab in Iran became gradually mandatory for women in government offices and then in all public places after the early months of the Islamic Revolution in February 1979. 'Ershad patrol' is part of the police force that has been tasked with dealing with protesters against compulsory hijab and what is termed 'bad hijab.'