LONDON, June 19 (UPI) -- The British government expressed deep concern over Iran's decision to resentence a human rights lawyer to more than a decade behind in prison.
Abdolfattah Soltani was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of distributing "propaganda against the state." In 2003, he helped set up the Center for Human Rights Defenders with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Soltani was sentenced to 13 years behind bars after losing his case on appeal. Rights group Amnesty International states that Soltani was pressured to confess by Iranian authorities, including to charges of receiving funds to plot a "soft revolution" in the country.
British Foreign Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said the sentencing showcased Iran's callous disregard for the rule of law.
"Soltani appears to have been targeted because of his efforts to defend the rights of political and human rights activists in Iran," he said in a statement.
Burt said he was calling on the Iranian government to overturn the sentence and stop harassment of human rights defenders in the country.
Relations between the British and Iranian governments are strained. Protesters in November stormed the British Embassy in Tehran.
