Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian human rights lawyer and women’s rights defender who has repeatedly faced arbitrary arrest, harsh sentencing and imprisonment due to her peaceful advocacy. Sotoudeh was first arrested in September 2010 on charges of propaganda against the State and collusion against national security, sentenced to 11 years in prison with a 20‑year ban on practising law (later reduced on appeal), and released in September 2013 after being pardoned.  Sotoudeh was arrested again on 13 June 2018 and subsequently sentenced in March 2019 to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes on multiple charges, including appearing in public without a hijab and spreading propaganda, under Article 134 of Iran’s Penal Code. During her detention she undertook hunger strikes, including a 46‑day strike in August–September 2020 demanding release of political prisoners amid the COVID‑19 pandemic, leading to serious heart and other health issues. Despite being granted temporary furlough due to her condition,  Sotoudeh was returned to prison in early December 2020 (even while still ill and contagious) on the eve of receiving the Right Livelihood Award. She was released on medical furlough due to a heart condition on 21 July 2021 but remains at risk of being imprisoned again.