On January 9, 2011, prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was found guilty of "acting against national security" and "making propaganda against the system" and sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison. Part of her sentence resulted from allegations that she was a member of the Human Rights Defenders Center, an organization originally founded by five other Iranian lawyers, several of whom were also detained or otherwise punished for their work. Sotoudeh is most widely known for representing political activists following the controversial 2009 presidential election protests. She was originally detained in September 2010 and spent much of her initial imprisonment in solitary confinement. Several international groups strongly opposed the Iranian government's decision to detain Sotoudeh, including Reporters Without Borders.

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Learn more about Iran and the laws governing human rights from the JURIST news archives.

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