Abdolafattah Soltani is an Iranian human rights lawyer and co‑founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre alongside Shirin Ebadi and Mohammad Seifzadeh. Abdolafattah Soltani has provided pro‑bono legal assistance to political prisoners, trade unionists and dissidents, including representing the family of Zahra Kazemi and journalist Akbar Ganji. He was first arrested on 30 July 2005 and detained in Evin Prison’s Section 209 on espionage‑related charges linked to his advocacy. He was sentenced in July 2006 to five years, but acquitted on appeal in May 2007. Abdolafattah Soltani was arrested again on 16 June 2009 following the contested presidential election; he was held for 70 days, including 17 days in solitary confinement, deprived of basic rights and banned from travel after receiving the 2009 Nuremberg International Human Rights Award, which the authorities used as grounds for further charges. In September 2011 he was arrested a third time as he prepared to defend Bahá’í clients and was held in Evin Prison in harsh conditions, repeatedly denied medical care and subjected to hunger strike protests, notably in March 2018 over denial of proper treatment. In March 2012 Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to 18 years in prison and a 20‑year ban on practising law. On appeal in June 2012 his sentence was commuted to 13 years in prison and the ban lifted, under Article 134 of Iran’s Penal Code. Abdolafattah Soltani served more than seven years in prison and was granted conditional release on 21 November 2018 after serving over half of his sentence.