A group of six Nobel Peace Laureates, including Iranian Shirin Ebadi—is calling on the Iranian government to free Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Ebadi and fellow Iranian activists are protesting today outside the United Nations offices in Geneva to call attention to the plight of Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Iranian authorities arrested Sotoudeh on September 4 for her work in defending human rights activists in Iran. Sotoudeh has been on a hunger strike since December 4 to protest the illegality of her arrest.
Under Iranian law it is illegal to hold the accused in solitary confinement after they have been charged. However Sotoudeh has been held in solitary confinement since the day of her arrest—and her lawyer’s efforts to get bail have fallen on deaf ears.

The Iranian prosecutor has charged Sotoudeh with propaganda against the state—and also for actions against ’national security’. They have also accused her of crimes against Islamic dress codes in Iran.

Ebadi and her fellow activists are vowing to keep the vigil in front of UN offices in Geneva until action is taken to free Sotoudeh. They fear for her life, and believe that unless freed, Sotoudeh could die.