Abdolfattah Soltani

An attorney, member of the Center for the Defenders of Human Rights, and a member of the Iranian Bar Association's board of directors. He has experience in handling cases related to human rights, social activism, students, and journalists. Notable clients include: Akbar Ganji, Zahra Kazemi, Haleh Esfandiari, members of the Nationalist Religious

<coverage-outsourcing id='6779'> He was arrested. He was charged with "espionage through divulging the details of his clients' cases", where his clients were also charged with "espionage". Saeid Mortazavi was the presiding judge of this case. The defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and a five-year ban on participating in social services. After 219 days of incarceration, all charges against him were overturned in Appeals Court. He was released without being reinstated as an attorney. The defendant's efforts to hold the prosecutors accountable were fruitless. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6786'> He was barred from leaving the country as he was preparing to leave for Germany to receive the Nuremburg Award </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6794'> He was arrested by agents of the court as a result of his complaining about the election results and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6775'> Security forces in Tehran International Airport confiscated the defendant's newly issued passport and informed him to present himself to the airport Director's office on the coming Monday. This was while the defendant, who represented political prisoners, was en route to Germany to participate in the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award Ceremony </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6799'> He was released from prison after posting bail of 800 million tomans </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6783'> Amnesty International issued a statement in which they requested that the Islamic Republic release the defendant, an attorney and political prisoner, "immediately and without any conditions" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6781'> Shirin Ebadi penned a letter to Ahmad Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, in which she described the Appeals Court decision regarding Abdolfattah Soltani, attorney and member of the Center for the Defenders of Human Rights </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6780'> He was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison. Massoumeh Dehghan, the defendant's wife, whom was temporarily incarcerated a few weeks prior to his arrest, spoke of his arrest : > At 1:30 pm today, Mr. Soltani and four other individuals entered the house and gathered all of the CD's and papers in his room; When we complained and told them the documents belonged to the children, they paid no attention and even confiscated the children's laptops. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6798'> He was arrested in Revolutionary Court as he was occupied reading one of his client's case files </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6784'> He was transferred to Branch 3 of Evin Court, where his final defense was heard. Among his charges were " participation in the founding of Center for the Defenders of Human Rights" and "unlawful acquisition" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6776'> He was tried in Branch 26 of Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Abbasi on charges of "receiving the Nuremberg Human Rights Award, giving interviews regarding his cases to the media, and participation in founding the Center for the Defenders of Human Rights". The defendant did not appear in court during the trials as he did not recognize the legitimacy of the court proceedings </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6787'> He was sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 26 of Revolutionary Court. This sentence was reduced to 13 years in Appeals Court. He was also barred from practicing law for 20 years and exiled to Borazjan </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6791'> Amnesty International requested the defendant's release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6795'> Human Rights Commission of the German Parliament issued a statement condemning the arrest of Abdolfattah Soltani, an Iranian attorney and winner of the Nuremburg Human Rights Award </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6782'> Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemned the sentence against the defendant and called it "an unacceptable attack" against attorneys. She also called for the dissolution of the charges against him and his immediate release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6792'> Amnesty International issued a statement requesting the defendant's release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6778'> Maede Soltani, the defendant's daughter, penned a letter to Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran Prosecutor, in which she expressed her concern over her father's health and requested that he be allowed to leave the prison to receive treatment or that he be transferred to hospital without handcuffs. This was due to the fact that the defendant refused to cooperate when he was scheduled to be transferred to hospital if he was handcuffed </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6788'> After months of waiting, he was transferred to hospital to address his digestion problems </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6797'> The defendant, who suffers from digestion problems, was transferred to Sina Hospital due to his severe condition and was hospitalized there as per the recommendation of his doctors </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6796'> Massoumeh Dehghan, the defendant's wife, criticized the government for not allowing her sick husband furlough during his four-year incarceration </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6793'> He was allowed to leave the prison on furlough after four years of incarceration </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6789'> He returned to Evin Prison after the request to extend his furlough was denied by the Tehran Prosecutor </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6785'> The Iranian Bar Association penned an open letter to the Head of the Judiciary requesting conditional release of the defendant </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6777'> It was reported that the defendant is suffering from "heart disease", "cervical and lumbar discs", "fluctuations in blood pressure", and "serious digestive issues". He has lost a substantial amount of weight and is not being afforded medical treatment </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5873'> It was reported that he was transferred to Evin Prison's medical ward in an emergency following severe heart palpitations and a burning sensation in his chest </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6752'> He was allowed to leave the prison on furlough following his mother's death </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6753'> It was reported that the defendant returned to Evin Prison at the end of his furlough </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6953'> Harana reported that he was went on a temporary leave to attend his mother's funeral </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7674'> In a letter to the chief of Judiciary, his daughter, Maedeh Soltani, demanded the enforcement of law in his father's case </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8207'> Maedeh Soltani told the International Campaign for Human Rights that the legal conditions for her father's release are met, but the judicial authorities have not responded to this request yet </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9000'> The website of Center for Human Rights Defenders reported that after the invocation of Article 134, Mr. Soltani's sentence has been reduced to ten years in prison and two years barred from practicing law </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9223'> Abolfazl Ghadyani supported a letter that requested from the chief of Judiciary to release Soltani, and he asked civil and political activists to sign the letter. This letter was published publicly and its signatures, which reached twelve thousand, were also gathered publicly </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9243'> Hi wife, Masoumeh Dehghan, told BBC Persian that due to some health issues recently he has been to the prison clinic several times and the doctors believe that prison will only make his conditions worse. Ms.Dehghan said that her husband is suffering from digestive disease, blood pressure fluctuations, Arthritis, and lumbar disk, and his conditions have become "worse" during the last five years in prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9379'> Zeitoon reported that according to Masoumeh Dehghan, the judicial authorities insist that Mr. Soltani, a lawyer himself, ask for parole. In response to Dehghan's question about the reason for their insistence, they said that this is "procedure" and for that reason, they did not even accept the parole request made by Soltani's attorney. According to her, Abdolfattah Soltani responded to this request by saying: > If the Judiciary was to respond, they would have responded to the Bar Association's request. According to Masoumeh Dehghan, the prison judge requested Soltani's release, but the prosecutor's office denied it </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9378'> Zeitoon reported that the prosecutor's office refused to accept the petition for the release of Abdolfattah Soltani, which was signed by 12540 citizens. The prosecution told Masoumeh Soltani, his wife, that due to the "campaign" and "political" nature of the petition, they cannot document it. According to the report, Abdolfattah Soltani was informed about the petition for his release, and in their last visitation he had thanked all the people involved and had asked them to end the campaign </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9380'> Zeitoon reported that he has recently visited the prison doctor for some health issues, and according to his wife: > The doctors say prison will only make him worse. Soltani is suffering from digestive diseases, blood pressure fluctuation, Arthritis, and lumbar disk </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9922'> In a letter to the chief of Judiciary, Maedeh Soltani asked for a follow up on his father's case </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10222'> The nine remaining prisoners in Ward 350 of Evin Prison objected to the ward's isolated environment and the transfer of political prisoners. The letter states that Ward 350 has not had any new entry since the spring of 2014, for a long time there have been only 9 prisoners in this Ward, and "are experiencing conditions more difficult than solitary". Constant hunger strikes of political prisoners in other wards and prisons indicate the futility of separating political prisoners, and separating political prisoners from each other is in fact an "indirect torture". The signatories are: Akbar Amini, Yashar Darolshafa, Ahmad Daneshpour, Mohsen Daneshpour, Ali Zahed, Abdolfattah Soltani, Hassan Sisakhti, Sohail Arabi, and Mohammad Sedigh Kaboudvand. The letter was published by Harana, and it is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of Ward 350's page in Atlas </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10929'> After Farideh Gheirat dedicated her award to Mr. Sotani on Human Rights day in the Central Bar Association and the Union of Bar Associations of the country, Mr. Soltani and Masoumeh Dehghan thanked her in separate messages </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10364'> Kalame Reported that his request for a temporary leave has been denied once again </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='11094'> Kalame published a note from his family which said with the three religious holidays approaching, Mr. Soltani's family are hopeful about his release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13415'> His daughter Maedeh Soltani wrote a letter addressed to the minister of Intelligence, calling him a minister that, surely, doesn’t want to “cause unfortunate occurrences,” and requesting that he urgently review this case, given that three years have passed since the implementation of article 18, and the ruling of four judges that deemed the verdict invalid, and taking into consideration Mr. Soltani’s weak physical condition, </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13428'> On the two thousandth day of his incarceration a large number of twitter users demanded his release using hashtags, #2000days and #freesoltani </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13379'> His wife told Insaf News that Mr. Soltani, has, so far, only, been allowed to go on temporary leave twice. She confirmed that her husband has become severely ill in the past few months. His case was rejected by the Supreme Court of Iran, despite the opinion of four judges who had declared his verdict “null and void and against the spirit of Sharia” and his family is worried about the health of Abdollah Soltani. Ms. Dehghan, added, that her husband is allowed one face to face visit and one kiosk meeting per month </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='21424'> He enden his hunger strike </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='16263'> Went on furlough </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19105'> Massoumeh Dehghan wrote on her instagram page, “My husband, Abdolfattah Soltani, was, again, very ill. He said that it has been some days that he suffers from intestinal and kidney problems”. She has confirmed that despite knowledge of his condition, the prosecutor refuses to grant him medical or conditional leave </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='20033'> With Arash Sadeghi’s exile to Rajaei Shahr prison in Karaj and the transfer of the other political prisoner of ward 350 to other wards in Evin prison, ward 350 of Evin prison was closed. According to reports Soheil Arabi was transferred to ward 8, but most of the political prisoner that remained in ward 350 were transferred to ward 4. Ward 4 is devoid of rooms, it has no cooking equipment, the principle of separating prisoners according to their charges does not exist. Even though, it is claimed that the reason for this transfer was the publication of Esmail Abadi, Arash Sadeghi and Soheil Arabi’s pictures in Evin’s ward 350, but according to the previous statements of the prison authorities, it is possible that the closing of this ward, like the collective transfer of political prisoners of Rajaei Shahr prison in Karaj that took place two months before, was the product of prior planning. According to IPA, Abdolfatah Soltani, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mohsen Daneshpour, Ahmad Daneshpour, Hasan Sisakhti and Ali Zahed were also transferred </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='20467'> Went on furlough </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='20879'> Went on furlough </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='21366'> He began his hunger strike by writing a letter and protesting the violation of the rights of ordinary and political prisoners and the involvement of the Ministry of Intelligence officials in the process of judicial decision-making </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23202'> His lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, told IRNA that "Tehran's prosecutor has said that Abdolfattah Soltani does not have the conditions for a conditional release" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='30861'> <reference source='https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-46289433'> He was released conditionally </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='27692'> European Bar Associations and Lawyers stated that Human Rights Award granted to four Iranian lawyers, Abdolfattah Soltani, Amir Salar Davoodi, Mohammad Najafi and Nasrin Sotoudeh </coverage-outsourcing>