Ms. Mai Sato
UN Special Rapporteur on the Islamic Republic of Iran
Ms. Margaret Satterthwaite
UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
Ms. Mary Lawlor
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders
Mr. Alain Berset
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Mr. Michael O’Flaherty
Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe
Ms. Roberta Metsola
President of the European Parliament
Mr. António Costa
President of the European Council
Ms. Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission
Ms. Kaja Kallas
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
of the European Commission
Mr. Javier Zarzalejos
President LIBE Committee of the European Parliament
EEAS Iran Division
Venice, 18/12/2024
Re: Urgent request for intervention in favour of renowned Iranian human rights defender Reza Khandan
Dear All,
The undersigned organizations urge you to take urgent, concrete action in the case of Reza Khandan, renowned
Iranian human rights activist and husband of the iconic human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Khandan, Sotoudeh, and their family have been the objects of a sustained, protracted campaign of abuse at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran (“IR”).
Khandan was once again arrested last Friday, 13 December 2024, after IR security forces raided his home. Khandan was arrested for the first time in September 2018, and was charged with “spreading propaganda against the system” and “colluding to commit crimes against national security,” after posting several online updates about his wife’s June 2018 arrest and protesting against the IR’s mandatory hijab law by producing and distributing pins that read: ‘I stand against the compulsory hijab’. Khandan was released on bail in December 20185, but in January 2019 was sentenced to six years in prison with another activist, Farhad Meysami.
On 13 February 2023, Khandan was summoned to appear within 30 days in prison for the execution of this sentence, just a few short weeks after his wife Nasrin Sotoudeh appeared on CNN to call for the release of Meysami. At the time of Sotoudeh’s TV appearance, Meysami’s life was in grave danger after a lengthy hunger strike. Meysami was freed from the infamous, overcrowded Evin Prison soon thereafter, on 10 February 2023. The summons issued to Khandan was not enforced at the time after 22 organisations of jurists from around the world, including many of the signatories here, called for your intervention. Significantly, Khandan’s most recent arrest occurred on the very same day that the IR’s even more onerous new law on “Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” was scheduled to come into force.
Khandan’s wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was herself one of many women who denounced the new law earlier this month, emphasizing that the law increases the punishment for women and girls aged 12 and older who do not wear hijab. In addition, it applies to online activities, resulting in large fines and lengthy prison sentences (up to 15 years), and even possible death sentences12. UN experts have demanded that the new law be repealed.
Reza Khandan and his family have been, and continue to be, victims of extreme judicial persecution. IR authorities must immediately and unconditionally rescind the summons and suspend the execution of the sentence against Khandan, drop all the charges against him and his wife Nasrin Sotoudeh, and cease the longstanding campaign of persecution of them and their family for their efforts to protect, inter alia, women from discrimination and humiliation to which they are subject in contravention of the principle of civilisation enshrined in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by Iran in 1948, according to which “all human beings are born
free and equal in dignity and rights”, where dignity comes even before rights.
Likewise, recognizing the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly and association, as well as the right to a fair trial, all of which are foundations of civilised existence, the international community, including the EU (given its ongoing dialogue with Iran), must condemn all forms of discrimination, persecution, and violence on the part of the IR – including the use of barbaric, often gratuitous and lethal force against peaceful protesters, brutal beatings, torture, and sexual violence, baseless arrests, meritless prosecutions, and sham trials and convictions, with draconian sentencing to flogging and long years of imprisonment in the most primitive, crowded
conditions – and, of course, executions.
We – the undersigned Colleagues, Magistrates, NGOs and civil society – stand united and resolute in denouncing the IR’s violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, and in supporting Iran’s courageous human rights defenders. We ask you, once again, for a firm, definitive, and incisive commitment to end the judicial harassment of Reza Khandan and Nasrin Sotoudeh, recalling the tenets of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, and States’ responsibilities enshrined therein.
If we do not defend human rights defenders, who will defend human rights?
We thank you for your attention and we rely on your prompt and effective intervention.
Best regards,
Avocats Européens Democrats / European Democratic Lawyers
Ordre des avocats francophones et germanophone de Belgique / Belgium
Barreau de Bordeaux – Bordeaux Bar Association / France
Barreau Pénal International – International Criminal Bar (BP
Consiglio Nazionale Forense – Italian National Bar Council / Italy
Defense Commission of the Barcelona Bar Association / Spain
Défense Sans Frontière – Avocats Solidaires / France
Deutscher Anwaltverein – German Bar Association / Germany
European Criminal Bar Association
European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights
Foundation Day of the Endangered Lawyer
International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL), Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers
International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
Institut des Droits de l’Homme du Barreau de Bordeaux / France
Institut des Droits de l’Homme, Barreau de Bruxelles / Belgium
Institut des Droits de l’Homme du Barraeau de Paris / France
Institut des Droits de l’Homme des Avocats Européens (IDHAE)
Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés
New York City Bar Association / United States of America
Observatoire International des Avocats en Danger / International Observatory for Lawyers (OIAD)
Progressive Lawyers’ Association / Turkey
Rechtsanwaltskammer Berlin / Germany
Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA-IROL)
Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane – Union of the Italian Criminal Chambers / Italy