Reza Khandan, Husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, Arrested

Mehraveh Khandan, the daughter of Nasrin Sotoudeh, reports that her father, Reza Khandan, has been arrested by security forces. On Friday, December 23, she wrote on Instagram that her father was detained at his home in Tehran. Meanwhile, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent lawyer and human rights advocate, informed Radio Farda that her husband was arrested to enforce a sentence from 2018. Sotoudeh claims that Reza Khandan had been pardoned in that case, and according to her, the actions of the Evin Prosecutor's Office are illegal. Mahmoud Behzadi Rad, Reza Khandan's lawyer, stated that this sentence is being enforced despite the Ministry of Intelligence, as the case's authority, having previously expressed its opposition to its execution. This lawyer has announced that he will pursue the matter in the Supreme Court. Mohammad Moqimi, another lawyer, wrote on social media that he suspects the reason for this arrest is the enforcement of a six-year prison sentence related to a case in which Khandan and civil activist Farhad Mishtami were involved. In February 2019, the 15th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Abolghasem Salavati, sentenced Reza Khandan to six years in prison. In this case, Khandan was also subjected to additional penalties, including deprivation of 'membership in political parties and groups' and 'activities in cyberspace, media, and journalism, and leaving the country.' His charges included 'collusion and conspiracy against national security,' 'propaganda against the regime,' and 'spreading and promoting improper hijab in society.' Farhad Mishtami also faced a similar sentence in this case.