Iranian rights activist jailed for 7 years: News agency

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) – An Iranian court on Monday slapped Nasrin Sotoudah, a female rights activist and attorney, with a seven-year prison term, according to Iranian state media.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Judge Mohammad Moghieseh as saying that Sotoudah had received five years behind bars for taking part in unauthorized demonstrations and another two years for “insulting” Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

In 2011, the 56-year-old activist was sentenced to 11 years in prison for participating in mass opposition rallies in the run-up to Iran’s 2009 presidential poll and for providing jailed activists with legal counsel.

In 2013, Sotoudah, whose clients have included reformist politician Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, managed to secure an early release.

In June of last year, however, she was re-arrested by the Iranian authorities.