Chairperson, on 11 March prominent Iranian human right lawyer and defender of women's rights Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes, as she was also sentenced in her absence to five years in 2016 in another grossly unfair trail, her total sentence is 38 years in prison. Her charges include inciting corruption and prostitution, openly committing a sinful act by appearing in public without a hijab and disrupting public order.
Her work has largely been defending women, protesting against force wearing of the hijab, defending the rights of women generally an opposing the death penalty. Amnesty International says this is the harshest sentence, documented against the human rights defender in recent years, while jailing a human rights defender for her peaceful activities is abhorrent.
The fact that the judge used his discretion to ensure that she is locked up for more than the Iranian law allowed, compounds this outrageous injustice. South Africa must use its voice at the United Nation Security