Reza Khandan, renowned Iranian human rights activist and husband of the iconic human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and their family have been the objects of a sustained, protracted campaign of abuse at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IR).

Khandan was once again arrested last Friday, 13 December 2024, after IR security forces raided his home.

The ECBA and other cosignatories ask in their request for a firm, definitive, and incisive commitment to end the judicial harassment of Reza Khandan and Nasrin Sotoudeh, recalling the tenets of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, and States’ responsibilities enshrined therein.