Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Gets 13 Years

Abdolfattah Soltani (left) speaking with his colleague, the Nobel Prize-winning human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, in Tehran in 2004

A leading Iranian human rights lawyer has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Tehran revolutionary court.

Abdolfattah Soltani was arrested last year and charged with endangering national security, among other charges.

He was first sentenced to 18 years in prison in March.

His daughter, Maede Soltani, told The Associated Press that the lower 13-year jail term had been confirmed during the appeals process last week.

Amnesty International says Soltani is a "nonviolent political prisoner who is being jailed only for his legitimate activities as a human rights lawyer."

Soltani co-founded a human rights group with Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Based on reporting by AP