Nima Khandan, the 17-year-old son of prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, was beaten and injured by prison officers during a visit to his imprisoned father at Tehran’s Evin Prison, according to posts on Sotoudeh’s Instagram account.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when six prison officers threw the teenager to the ground and pressed him against stair railings, resulting in injuries including a bloodied ear from forcibly removed piercings.
The assault happened while the young Khandan was attempting to secure a face-to-face meeting with his father, whom he hadn’t seen for several weeks due to exams.
According to Sotoudeh’s account, a prison official identified as “Haghjou” later handcuffed the injured teen and summoned armed officers to the waiting room where his mother had taken him.
The situation escalated when officers reached for their weapons in response to Sotoudeh’s protests.
Sotoudeh said, “In the final scene, Haghjou, abusing his official position, handcuffed the bloodied Nima and brought armed officers into the waiting room where I had taken him to prevent his arrest.”
She added, “Those young soldiers, in response to my cries to stop Nima’s arrest, reached for their weapons. I laughed. I told them, ‘Put your toy away.’ I don’t know what happened, but he pulled his hand back.”
The incident also affected Reza Khandan’s 85-year-old mother, who fainted upon seeing her grandson in handcuffs and required hospitalization until evening.
Following the confrontation, Nima was arrested and taken to a police station, though he was released after several hours.
His father, Reza Khandan, has been detained in Ward 8 of Evin Prison since December. Khandan has begun a hunger strike in response to the incident.
He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2018 alongside activist Farhad Meysami for alleged security offenses related to protests against mandatory hijab laws.
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