Women’s right activists demonstrate for Sotoudeh

     Scores of Iranian women's rights activists gathered in front of the Tehran Prosecutor's Office on Sunday December 2 to call for proper handling of the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh, the jailed lawyer who has been on a hunger strike for close to 50 days.

  The Equal Family Rights Website reports that the activists had gathered at the prosecutor's office to express their concern for Sotoudeh's situation and were hoping to present a letter signed by numerous women's rights defenders to Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi.   Sotoudeh has been refusing food to protest the violation of her rights as a prisoner. Sotoudeh is being denied phone calls with her family as well as in-person visits. Meanwhile, the authorities have also subjected her family to unjustifiable pressure by barring her husband and 12-year-old daughter from travelling abroad.   The letters' signatories are calling on the prosecutor's office to arrange for Sotoudeh's "immediate transfer to a well-equipped hospital."   One of the activists has reported that the group intends to repeat its gathering in front of the prosecutor's office in the coming days.   Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh's husband, has reported that his wife has said she will end her hunger strike if the authorities lift the ban that keeps her daughter from travelling abroad. He has also reported that his wife's weight has dropped below 43 kilos, and she appears to be in critical health condition.   Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer, is serving a six-year jail sentence and is banned from practicing law.   The Aftab website reported on Sunday December 2 that Arak MP Mohammad Hassan Asferi, who is also a member of Parliament's National Security Commission, has been quoted as saying that if the news about Sotoudeh circulating on sites and blogs is true, the "National Security Commission will for sure summon the Justice Minister and the head of prisons to Parliament for questioning."   Source: Radio Zamaneh