Iranian human rights activists welcomed the government's decision to free at least 11 political prisoners.

The Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People's Rights (Codir) attributed the release of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and another seven women and three men to long-running pressure by the international community.

Ms Sotoudeh was sentenced to six years in prison in September 2010 for "spreading propaganda against the system" and "acting against national security" - catch-all charges which the government has routinely used to suppress critics of its human rights record.