Nasrin Sotoudeh is an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer, widely respected for her efforts on behalf of juveniles facing the death penalty and for her defense of prisoners of conscience.

On Sunday January 11th 2011, Nasrin, a mother of two, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. (Reduced to 6 years on appeal)

The sentence included five years for 'violating the Islamic dress code (Hejab)' and five years for 'acting against the national security of the country' and 1 year for 'propaganda against the regime'.

She has also been banned from practising law and leaving the country for 20 years.

Nasrin took on her first case in the area of women’s rights a year after the start of her legal career.

Following the launch of the One Million Signatures Campaign and the widespread growth of the women’s rights movement, she represented many women’s rights activists and especially Campaign activists fully pro-bono and without the smallest monetary expectation.

She is a member of the board of directors of the Society for Defense of Children’s Rights where she defended victims of child abuse.

Following her attempt to save the life of Arash Ramanipour, who was hung in January 2010 for crimes he had allegedly committed under the age of 18, she went on record to reveal the illegal process of conducting his execution.