The European Union on
Tuesday called on Iran to release a prominent human rights lawyer recently
sentenced to 18 years in prison, calling the verdict an "unacceptable
attack" against the legal profession.
"The High
Representative is very concerned by the exceedingly harsh verdict given by an
Iranian Court to Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent Iranian lawyer who
bravely stood up to defend the rights of numerous human rights activists in his
country," said a spokesperson for EU Foreign Sffairs chief Catherine
Ashton in a statement.
"The 18-year prison
sentence and the 20-year ban from practicing law imposed by the court
constitute another unacceptable attack against the legal profession in Iran.
The High Representative calls on Iran to drop all charges against him and to
release him immediately."
On March 6, several
opposition websites reported on the sentencing of Soltani, a co-founder of the
Defenders of Human Rights Centre along with Nobel peace prize winner Shirin
Ebadi and others.
He was arrested in early
September, spurring condemnation by Amnesty International and the European
Union.
He is also known for
defending the minority religious group of Bahais in Iran, who are not
recognized by the authorities.
Amnesty has called for the
immediate release of Soltani, who also spent several months behind bars between
2005 and 2009.
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