After two trials described by Amnesty International as “grossly unfair,” Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes.
Sotoudeh, who has dedicated her life to defending Iranian women prosecuted for removing their hijabs in public, has been in the crosshairs of Iran’s theocratic government for years.
In 2010, she was convicted of conspiring to harm state security and served half of a six-year sentence.
Then, in June of last year, she was rearrested on an array of dubious charges.
The total 38-year sentence was severe even by Iranian standards — a country often accused of human rights abuses, particularly involving women.
In a secret trial, Iran convicts lawyer who defended women who removed their hijabs.
Shots fired as crowd tries to prevent arrest by Iranian morality police of woman in ‘improper’ hijab. »