San Francisco Frontiers - Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh wins Council of Europe's rights prize

Still in Iran after her release on bail in May, Sotoudeh said in a brief video message that "one day, the sun of freedom will shine upon our country as well" and added "perhaps one day, truth will find its way to our country too."

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which awards the prize named after the Czech dissident and former president Vaclav Havel, hailed Sotoudeh's work.

She had "represented activists, journalists, minorities and children facing execution, while campaigning against compulsory hijab laws and the death penalty, despite repeated arrests, lengthy imprisonment and great personal risk", it said.

In the absence of Sotoudeh, her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, accepted the prize on her behalf.

Sotoudeh was arrested at her home on April 1 as part of what activists said was a crackdown on civil society during Iran's war with Israel and the United States and released on bail around six weeks later.

The arrest followed protests across Iran in January in which thousands were killed as security forces suppressed the demonstrations, according to activists.

Sotoudeh, who has won previous awards including the 2012 Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the 2020 Right Livelihood Award, has repeatedly been arrested over her work in the past.

Her husband and Mehraveh's father, Reza Khandan, has been held in an Iranian prison since December 2024.

Sotoudeh has for years campaigned on some of the most sensitive issues in the Islamic republic, notably working to prevent the execution of youths convicted of crimes.

She has also won prominence thanks to several films and documentaries highlighting her activism.

She made a memorable cameo as a passenger in Jafar Panahi's 2015 movie "Taxi Tehran", and was the subject of a warmly received 2020 documentary "Nasrin".

G.Allen--SFF