Raid by Intelligence Ministry Agents on Nasrin Sotoudeh's Home

Reza Khandan, the husband of imprisoned human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, reported that agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided their home and "turned the entire house upside down." Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch sharply criticized the recent ruling against Nasrin Sotoudeh, stating that such a ruling reflects the judiciary's approach in the Islamic Republic towards "criminalizing" human rights activities. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on June 13, and according to her husband and lawyer, three new cases have been opened against her, one of which includes the charge of espionage. Reza Khandan wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday, August 18, "Early in the morning, while the children were asleep, the Ministry of Intelligence forces entered the house. They searched the entire house and storage." According to Khandan, the agents were searching for a badge that read, "I oppose compulsory hijab." Khandan also reported that the agents raided his sister's home and "turned their entire house upside down." According to Payam Darfashan, Nasrin Sotoudeh's lawyer, the five-year prison sentence issued in absentia by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court is one of the new charges against his client. Khandan had previously told Radio Farda that the absentia ruling against his wife was issued "based on Article 510 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding assistance to spies," although this ruling "does not match the indictment." Additionally, according to Sotoudeh's lawyer, another reason for her arrest is "a complaint from the prosecutor's office in Kashan." Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has represented many political and civil activists in recent years, was also the lawyer for several women protesting compulsory hijab, known as the "Girls of Revolution Street," last year. Shaparak Shajari Zadeh, one of Sotoudeh's clients, was arrested in June this year while traveling to Kashan by the city's security police on charges of "removing her hijab." A few days ago, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, expressed concern about the situation of human rights activists who have been "illegally and arbitrarily" imprisoned in Iran, especially Nasrin Sotoudeh. The news of the raid by the Intelligence Ministry agents on Nasrin Sotoudeh's home was published one day after Human Rights Watch accused the Islamic Republic's judiciary of viewing human rights activities with a "severely criminalizing" perspective, and the ruling issued against Nasrin Sotoudeh also "reveals" such an approach. The statement from Human Rights Watch, published on Friday, August 17, called for the immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and others who have been detained for their human rights activities. According to Sarah Leah Whitson, the director of the Middle East division of this organization, Iranian officials severely disregard fair trial rights when dealing with human rights defenders like Nasrin Sotoudeh and... their promotion of respect for human rights frightens them. The statement from Human Rights Watch, referencing other imprisoned human rights lawyers in Iran, including Narges Mohammadi and Abdolfattah Soltani, stated that the Ministry of Intelligence under Rouhani's government, while "trying to present itself as a more moderate security agency, is, like the IRGC Intelligence Organization, an essential part of the government's severe repression against human rights defenders."