Reza Khandan

Reza Khandan is an Iranian human rights activist and graphic designer. The husband of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, Khandan has campaigned against compulsory veiling and the death penalty in Iran and publicly advocated for his wife when she was imprisoned between 2018 and 2021. In 2019, Khandan was charged in absentia with breaching national security and distributing anti-state propaganda, and was recalled to prison to carry out his sentence in 2024.

Personal life Khandan married lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh in 1995, with whom he has two children, Mehraveh and Nima; he lives with his family in Tehran. Sotoudeh described Khandan as "truly a modern man" who supported her with her work.

Activism Sotoudeh rose to prominence in Iran for representing imprisoned Iranian opposition activists following the 2009 presidential elections. She also represented adults sentenced to death for crimes committed as children, as well as women arrested for appearing in public without a hijab. Khandan publicly supported women's right to choose whether or not to veil, and stated he was against the forced imposition of any religion or belief by the Iranian government.

Sotoudeh was arrested in 2018 and charged with espionage, the dissemination of propaganda, and disparaging Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. In March 2019, she was sentenced to 38 years imprisonment in addition to 148 lashes. Khandan became a more prominent figure nationally and internationally after he began publicly campaigning for Sotoudeh's release. Khandan also publicly supported other jailed human rights activists, including Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was held at Qarchak Prison at the same time as Sotoudeh. Khandan was featured in Nasrin, a 2020 documentary by American filmmaker Jeff Kaufman.

Arrest and imprisonment In September 2018, Khandan was arrested and charged with "spreading propaganda against the system" and "colluding to commit crimes against national security" after posting updates about Sotoudeh's case on social media, in addition to speaking out against mandatory veiling for Iranian women and had also started a petition calling for the immediate commutation of the death sentence issued to Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi. Khandan was arrested alongside fellow activist Farhad Meysami with whom he had distributed anti-mandatory veiling badges. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran called Khandan's arrest "a blatant attempt by the Iranian authorities to pressure Sotoudeh, as well as [Khandan], into silence". Khandan was released on bail in December 2018. Sotoudeh attempted to visit him but was prevented from doing so after she refused to wear a chador. By April 2025, he was being held in Evin prison. The family reported that their son was beaten by officials while attempting to visit him.