Iran rights group says lawyer convicted for defending women protesters

Court said to sentence Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is held in a Tehran jail, to unspecified term; activist previously served three years for her activism

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An activist group says a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran who defended women protesting against the Islamic Republic’s mandatory wearing of a headscarf, or hijab, has been convicted and faces years in prison.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran says Nasrin Sotoudeh, who previously served three years in prison for her work, was convicted in absentia by a Revolutionary Court.

Sotoudeh is currently held at Tehran’s Evin prison and it remains unclear how many years she would have to serve.

Hadi Ghaemi, the center’s executive director, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Sotoudeh’s sentence showed “the insecurity the regime has to any peaceful challenge.”

Sotoudeh’s conviction was not immediately reported by Iranian state-run media and Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In December, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution urging Iran to stop its widespread use of arbitrary detention and expressed serious concern at its “alarmingly high” use of the death penalty.