- Leading Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, 64, was detained by intelligence agents at her home in Tehran overnight, her daughter confirmed.
- Sotoudeh, renowned for defending activists and women prosecuted for removing headscarves, was out on bail for health reasons and has been imprisoned multiple times previously.
- Her arrest occurs amidst an intensified crackdown on dissent by Iranian authorities, who have reportedly arrested hundreds and increased executions since the war with the US and Israel began.
- Days before her detention, Sotoudeh gave an interview to a Persian media outlet abroad, criticising the Islamic Republic’s policies and the government's brutal crackdown on January protests.
- Concerns are also mounting for imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who may have suffered a heart attack, with her lawyer highlighting her emaciated state and fears over airstrikes near her detention facility.
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