Iranian security forces have released rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh after detaining her for several hours in Tehran followng a protest.

Sotoudeh, a well-known human rights attorney, told Reuters on October 26 that she was held along with several other activists the previous day after a rally against a three-year ban on her from practicing law.

She said the rally was also to urge Iranian authorities to allow “more openness and freedom” in society.

Sotoudeh — the co-winner of the European Parliament’s 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought — said everyone except for her was quickly released.

She said security officials interrogated and threatened her for seven hours before freeing her.

Sotoudeh, 51, was arrested and jailed following the 2010 government crackdown on activists protesting President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s reelection.

She was released from a six-year prison sentence last year.
Based on reporting by Reuters
RFE/RL