Iran’s authorities have arrested Mehraveh Khandan, the 20-year-old daughter of political prisoner and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
Khandan was seized at her home in Tehran on Monday. She was charged with “insult and assault” and later released on bail of 1 billion rials (about $24,000).
It is the latest attempt by Iranian officials to silence Sotoudeh, who has refused to halt her public statements despite a prison sentence of 38 years and 148 lashes. She must serve at least 12 years of the term.
Iran Daily: The Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyers
On August 11, the attorney said she had begun a hunger strike to protest conditions and demand the release of political prisoners.
Authorities also blocked Sotoudeh’s bank account to cut off funds for her family. Her husband Reza Khandan was handed a six-year prison sentence in January 2019, although he is currently free as the punishment is appealed.
“Ms. Sotoudeh, You Must Climb Down”
Sotoudeh, awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for her defense of human rights activists, was also imprisoned from 2010 to 2013 over her representation of participants in mass protests after Iran’s dispute 2009 Presidential election.
She was detained again in June 2018 over her defense of woman protesting against compulsory hijab.
In a phone call to her husband from Evin Prison, Sotoudeh said she will continue her hunger strike despite the threat to her health.
“Nasrin said she was expecting the authorities would do something like this so she would drop her demands but she absolutely will not,” Khandan explained. “Nasrin has become very weak and lost a significant amount of weight.Thursday night she became very sick but she didn’t go to the clinic because of its condition and the COVID situation.”
He described the arrest of their daughter:
There was no prior warrant or warning. All of a sudden five agents showed up today in two cars and a taxi … I thought they’ve come to arrest me but then I saw Mehraveh’s name on a folder and the agents said they had a warrant for her arrest.
I said, “On what charge?” They said they were not obliged to tell me but did me a favor and said the arrest warrant is for insult and assault.
He said a female guard lodged a complaint last year after she “felt insulted” during an quarrel with Mehraveh Khandan at Evin Prison.
Reza Khandan summarized, “The message is very clear: Ms. Sotoudeh you must climb down and stop your hunger strike. They want to put pressure on her and intimidate the family.”
“…and later released on bail of 1 billion rials (about $24,000)…”
Hostage taking and extortion was the practice of this regime from the day it established itself. Guess who is expert on extortion, thugs, pimps and street gangs. And that was a major part of recruits of the local committees( komiteh) back then. Well, those pimps and thugs are in charge now, what else did you expect?