In the middle of the night on April 1, 2026, officials from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence arrested prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Her arrest came amid the ongoing war in Iran, and as the Islamic Republic of Iran has intensified its crackdown on domestic dissenters. Sotoudeh, who has spent her career defending political prisoners, human rights advocates, and women’s rights activists, is now a political prisoner herself.

This is not the first time Sotoudeh has been imprisoned. Since 2010, the 62-year-old lawyer has been arrested numerous times and subjected to prolonged solitary confinement. She was previously sentenced to about 38 years in prison, 148 lashes, and a 20-year ban from practicing law. Public pressure and her deteriorating health led to releases and furloughs.  

But in a system where torture is endemic and executions are rapidly rising, the stakes for Sotoudeh are higher than ever. This recent arrest is therefore not only a deprivation of her liberty, but of potentially her life. 

Sotoudeh's struggles are emblematic of many lawyers in Iran and around the world. 

Globally, lawyers are under attack. Authoritarians are abusing the legal system to persecute and prosecute their opponents, with a seemingly ever-growing list of trumped-up charges and sham trials. As dissidents are detained, journalists jailed, and freedom of expression extinguished, lawyers are often the last line of defense. Because of this, lawyers have now become the target, transformed from counsel to accused,........

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