Abdolfattah Soltani
| Abdolfattah Soltani | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1953 (age 63) |
| Nationality | Iran |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Organization | Defenders of Human Rights Center |
| Known for | human rights cases; 2005, 2009, and 2012 arrests |
| Awards |
Nuremberg International Human Rights Award (2009) International Bar Association Human Rights Award (2012) |
Abdolfattah Soltani (Persian: عبدالفتاح سلطانی; born 2 November 1953) is an Iranian human rights lawyer and spokesman for the Defenders of Human Rights Center. He co-founded the group with Mohammad Seifzadeh and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi. Along with Ebadi, Soltani served as a lawyer for the family of slain Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who was allegedly tortured and murdered in Evin Prison in July 2003. Ebadi and Soltani, along with others, also represented jailed journalist Akbar Ganji during his imprisonment and long hunger strike.
Soltani was incarcerated for political offences in 2005 and 2009. He received an 18-year prison sentence in 2012 and was banned for an additional 20 years from practicing law.Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience and called him "one of the bravest human rights defenders in Iran".
Soltani is a co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, an Iranian human rights organization, along with Mohammad Seifzadeh and future Nobel Peace Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi. Along with Ebadi and Seifzadeh, Soltani served as a lawyer for the family of slain Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who was allegedly tortured and murdered in Evin Prison in July 2003. Soltani, along with Seifzadeh, Ebadi and others, also represented jailed journalist Akbar Ganji during his imprisonment and long hunger strike and imprisoned Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari.
On 25 July 2005, Soltani criticized the fairness of the trial brought by Kazemi's family. Two days later, a Tehran prosecutor issued a warrant to search Soltani's home and office. The prosecutor then charged him with espionage. On 30 July, while participating in a sit-in to protest the charge, Soltani was arrested. He was detained incommunicado at Evin prison, including two months in Section 209, which is reserved for political prisoners. On 6 March 2006, he was released on bail of 100,000 euros.
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