(NEW YORK) – PEN America condemns the arrest of Reza Khandan—activist and husband of prominent writer, human rights lawyer, and 2011 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Awardee Nasrin Sotoudeh—who was taken by security forces from his house early this morning, and demands his immediate release.
“We are appalled at the arrest of Reza Khandan and urge Iranian authorities to release him immediately,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at PEN America. “For two decades, while Nasrin has been a leading voice of dissent in Iran and a defender of fundamental human rights and the rule of law, Reza has been a steadfast advocate for women’s rights and a vital source of support for his wife. We decry these cruel, petty retaliatory measures against family members, and the range of attempts by the Iranian authorities to threaten or silence those who oppose further draconian restrictions on women’s rights.”
Alongside many other women, Sotoudeh denounced Iran’s new “Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” law earlier this month. The law will increase punishment for women and girls aged 12 and older who fail to wear a hijab, or head covering. Extending to online activities, it carries large fines, lengthy prison sentences (up to 15 years), and possible death sentences. UN experts have called for the law’s repeal.
In September 2018, Khandan was arrested and charged with “spreading propaganda against the system” and “colluding to commit crimes against national security,” for posting updates about his wife’s June 2018 arrest online and protesting against the mandatory hijab law. He was released on bail in December, however in January 2019 Khandan and a fellow activist, Farhad Meysami, were sentenced to six years in prison for making and distributing buttons protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab laws. They were also banned from online activity and from leaving Iran for two years. Most recently, in February 2023, Khandan was summoned to prison in connection with this sentence, but the order was never enforced. He has yet to serve the six-year sentence.
In March 2019, Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to a total of 38 years and 148 lashes on a range of charges. The next year, following an extended hunger strike to protest prison conditions and the lack of adequate medical care for prisoners, Sotoudeh was conditionally released from prison and is currently on an extended medical furlough. In October 2023, she was severely beaten and briefly re-arrested while attending the funeral of slain teenager Armita Geravand without a hijab.
According to PEN America’s 2023 Freedom To Write Index, at least 49 Iranian writers were arrested for their work in 2023, making Iran the second-highest jailer of writers in the world after China. Iran is also the world’s top jailer of female writers.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.