Nasrin Sotoudeh's Husband Threatened with Arrest

Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist currently imprisoned, stated that an individual contacted him by phone and warned that he would be arrested if he did not go to the Ministry of Intelligence. On September 3, Mr. Khandan wrote on his Facebook page, "Someone called me today from my mobile and said they were calling from the Ministry of Intelligence. They said I must go there tomorrow." He added, "Since no person or entity other than the judicial authority, in writing and with stated reasons and accusations, has the right to pursue individuals, I reminded them of the legal limits. Unfortunately, in response to my objection, they said, 'Then you will be arrested.'" No reports or news regarding Mr. Khandan's potential arrest have been published yet. The Ministry of Intelligence or other judicial and security institutions in Iran have not reacted to these statements. However, this is not the first time Mr. Khandan has faced 'threats' or 'indirect threats'; for example, in October 2011, he mentioned being summoned indirectly through his guarantor to Branch 4 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office. In January 2010, after filing a complaint regarding mistreatment of his wife, he was summoned to court and accused of 'spreading falsehoods.' During the anniversary of Sattar Beheshti's death, it was reported that Khandan, Sotoudeh, and several other activists were detained for a few hours. In June of this year, Reza Khandan was also arrested while protesting his wife Nasrin Sotoudeh's detention in front of Evin Prison. Ms. Sotoudeh, a lawyer and legal scholar, was arrested on June 13. Mr. Khandan had previously written on his Facebook that his wife was sentenced to five years in prison in a case where the verdict was issued in absentia on October 5, 2016. The charges against Ms. Sotoudeh include 'collusion, assembly, and propaganda against the regime.' Mr. Khandan also told Radio Farda that the Revolutionary Court, citing Article 510 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding 'aiding spies,' sentenced Ms. Sotoudeh in absentia, while the Evin Prosecutor's Office had not charged her with such an accusation, and the verdict does not match the indictment. At the beginning of September, it was reported that Nasrin Sotoudeh had gone on a hunger strike in protest of her detention. Ms. Sotoudeh's arrest has faced widespread reactions from international human rights organizations, members of the European Parliament, U.S. government officials, and other entities. The charges brought against Ms. Sotoudeh by the judicial and security apparatus of the Islamic Republic come as Human Rights Watch states that she is 'a human rights hero who should be celebrated for her tireless defense of citizens' rights, not imprisoned.' Nasrin Sotoudeh has represented some relatives and detainees from the 2009 protests, civil and social activists, political prisoners, and women protesting compulsory hijab. She is a member of the Human Rights Defenders Center, a supporter of the Million Signatures Campaign to change discriminatory laws against women, and a campaigner for the rights of working children. Ms. Sotoudeh has repeatedly faced judicial threats and has been arrested and imprisoned several times.