LONDON, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Amnesty International denounced prison sentences imposed on two Iranian human rights defenders in Tehran and demanded all charges against them be dropped.
The human rights organization protested a decision by Iranian authorities to sentence human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to 11 years in jail Monday and a Sunday appellate decision sentencing journalist Shiva Nazar Ahari to four years.
"The sentences imposed on Nasrin Sotoudeh and Shiva Nazar Ahari are outrageous and make a mockery of justice," Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a press release issued Tuesday.
Sotoudeh was arrested last September and mostly held in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in Tehran, the organization said. Ahari, was arrested in June 2009 and released on bail in September 2010, the organization said.
Charges against Sotoudeh included "activities against national security" and "propaganda against the regime," family members confirmed Monday, The New York Times said.
Reza Khandan, her husband, told the newspaper his wife is also barred from leaving the country for 20 years and is forbidden to practice law. He said his wife's arrest stemmed from interviews she gave to the foreign media.
Amnesty International said Ahari was charged with "acts against national security," among other charges, and warned she may also face flogging. UPI
