On the anniversary of activist Reza Khandan’s arrest, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, PEN America, and the NYC Bar Association jointly call for his immediate release. Khandan, the husband of internationally renowned human rights activist, lawyer, and 2011 PEN America Freedom to Write Awardee Nasrin Sotoudeh, has long campaigned for women’s rights in Iran and currently is a leading voice speaking out from within Evin Prison against the death penalty and in support of prisoners’ rights. 

“Reza Khandan’s imprisonment is an affront to the most fundamental principles of human dignity and justice,” said Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. “His only ‘crime’ is standing up peacefully and bravely for the rights of women, for the rule of law, and for the future of his country. Today, we call on the Iranian authorities to recognize his humanity, heed their international obligations, and release him immediately.”

On December 14, 2024, Iranian authorities raided Reza Khandan’s home, and he was arrested. He began serving a previous unjust sentence of three years and six months in prison. While jailed, he has been denied visits with his wife and daughter due to their refusal to wear the hijab. The couple’s 17-year-old son, Nima, was brutally beaten by prison guards while trying to visit his father in January.  

To mark the anniversary of his arrest, on December 17 the NYC Bar Association, PEN America, and the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center are sponsoring a screening of the award-winning documentary NASRIN (narrated by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman), accompanied by a panel discussion on current challenges to human rights and the rule of law in Iran and in the United States. Panelists include the film’s director, writer, and producer Jeff Kaufman, and producer Marcia Ross.

“Iran has a remarkable history, a rich culture, and a diverse, youthful population.” Kaufman said, “It can only benefit from the contributions of good, caring, and informed citizens like Reza Khandan. Reza should be honored, not punished.”

Nasrin Sotoudeh has faced relentless harassment from the Iranian authorities for decades. In March 2019, she was sentenced to a total of 38 years and 148 lashes on various charges. After a gruelling hunger strike in 2020, a severe case of Covid, and a life-threatening heart condition, she was conditionally released from prison and is currently on an extended medical furlough. She was most recently beaten and briefly arrested by Iranian authorities in October 2023 while she was attending the funeral of Armita Geravand, a 17-year-old  girl who was murdered by the country’s morality police for appearing in public without wearing a hijab.

Khandan has faced harassment in turn for his work and his support of Sotoudeh. In September 2018, he was arrested and charged with “propaganda against the system” and “colluding to commit crimes against national security,” for posting updates about his wife’s arrest online and protesting against the mandatory hijab law. He was released on bail several months later, but in January 2019, he was sentenced to six years in prison for making and distributing buttons protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab laws. The sentence was later reduced to three years and six months. Khandan was abruptly re-arrested on these old charges in December 2024. 

In an interview from prison with TIME Magazine, Reza said, “No country can achieve democracy and development  with justice and  human dignity, without guaranteeing  equal rights for women and men. A society that ignores the rights of half of its population will never achieve real greatness.”

During Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel in the summer, Khandan was trapped in Evin as air strikes were conducted on the prison, killing over 70 people. He was violently transferred to another facility alongside other political prisoners following the attack. Khandan has continued his activism from within prison, speaking out against the Iranian authorities’ treatment of prisoners and their failure to safely evacuate the Evin population during the war, as well as protesting against the death penalty and attempting to shield fellow prisoners from execution. He has received additional punishments for these actions.

“Reza Khandan’s case reflects the Iranian government’s escalating persecution of writers, activists, and all those who speak out against compulsory hijab laws and other infringements of basic rights.” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at PEN America. “Even from the confines of prison, Khandan has refused to be silenced, courageously using his words and actions to challenge the authorities and express dissent.”In October, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, PEN America, and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights submitted a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Khandan’s case, demanding his immediate release. More information on PEN America’s work on Iran is available here.