Nasrin Sotoudeh hospitalized after hunger strike
Iran
Jailed Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been hospitalized on 19 September 2020, after her health situation worsened after being on hunger strike for over 40 days.
Ms. Sotoudeh began a hunger strike on 11 August 2020. In a letter detailing her reasons for starting a hunger strike, Ms. Sotoudeh has demanded the release of prisoners held for political motives who are at risk of catching Covid-19. Prior to being hospitalized, we received information that Ms. Sotoudeh was suffering from low blood pressure, fluctuating blood sugar levels, and rapid weight loss.
It has now been reported that Ms. Sotoudeh’s conditioning is worsening and that her family members are being denied access to her in the hospital and any information on her condition. Ms. Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan, has stated that her heart situation is not good at all. Moreover, Mr. Khandan informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran that “I managed to accidentally see her in the hallway as they brought her out for cardiac tests, she was in a wheelchair and I only got a momentary glance of her and she did not look well at all.”
Ms. Sotoudeh was brought to the hospital from Evin Prison, where she is currently serving a sentence of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes on charges of, amongst others, “inciting corruption and prostitution”, “openly committing a sinful act by appearing in public without a hijab”,and “disrupting public order” in connection to herhuman rights work.
Last week, Lawyers for Lawyers expressed concern about the continued detention and precarious health situation of Nasrin Sotoudeh in a letter to the Iranian authorities.