The lawyer who helped free Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is now behind bars himself.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah represented Nadarkhani throughout his years of unjust imprisonment and has also worked with other religious and political prisoners in similar situations.

But because of his involvement in those cases for the persecuted, Dadkhah was sentenced to nine years in prison and barred for 10 years from practicing or teaching law, according to the American Center for Law and Justice.

Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the ACLJ, spoke more about Dadkhah's situation, on CBN Newswatch, Oct. 3. Click play for more.

The ACLJ said Dadkhah worked out a deal with Iranian authorities so he could at least continue to represent Pastor Nadarkhani, who was still in prison at the time.

But during the weekend, Dadkhah was detained and forced to begin his lengthy sentence in one of Iran's worst prisons.

"He upheld his end of that bargain, and we believe that Iran has reneged now that Pastor Youcef is no longer the focus of international attention," ACLJ Associate Counsel Matthew Clark wrote in an update on the group's website.

The ACLJ described Dadkhah as a "world-renowned Muslim human rights attorney in Iran."

The group is now urging those who stood up for Pastor Nadarkhani's release to do the same for his lawyer.