The US special envoy for Iran on Sunday condemned Tehran’s continued detention of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, saying “she should not have spent a single day in prison.”
Robert Malley tweeted a message of solidarity with Ms Sotoudeh on the third anniversary of her imprisonment.
“It has been three years since human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38.5 years in prison and 148 lashes for defending women’s rights in Iran. From prison, she [continues] advocate for the humane treatment of political prisoners. She shouldn’t have spent a single day in prison, ”he wrote.
It has been 3 years since human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38.5 years in prison and 148 lashes for defending women’s rights in Iran. From prison, she continued to advocate for the humane treatment of political prisoners. She shouldn’t have spent a single day in prison.
– Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley (@USEnvoyIran)
June 13, 2021
Amnesty International has called the two trials against Ms. Sotoudeh “manifestly unfair”.
While securing a month-long release last year, following a 46-day hunger strike that ended last September, Ms. Sotoudeh was returned to prison in December.
Mr Malley’s tweet comes as he leads the US delegation to the sixth round of indirect negotiations with Iran, underway in Vienna. Representatives from China, Germany, France, Russia and Britain have held direct meetings with the Iranian delegation since Saturday, while Washington is engaged in indirect talks.
The objective is to revisit the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and the world powers. But several obstacles such as sanctions relief and Iran’s violations of the deal by expanding its program have prevented a breakthrough.
Russian representative Mikhail Ulyanov said a deal was “within reach” but unlikely before Iran’s presidential elections on Friday.
“It is almost certain that we will not be able to clean up the draft outcome document by the day of the presidential elections in Iran. Nonetheless, an agreement is within reach, ”he said.
