A semi-official Iranian news agency says a prominent human rights lawyer has been sentenced to seven years in prison after she defended protesters against the Islamic Republic's mandatory headscarves for women.

Monday's report by ISNA says Judge Mohammad Moghiseh sentenced 55-year-old Nasrin Sotoudeh to five years for plotting against the state and two more years for insulting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It's unclear when the sentencing took place.

Last week, an Iranian activist group that's based abroad first reported that Sotoudeh was convicted. Her conviction has been widely criticized.

Sotoudeh previously served three years for her work and was released in 2013. She was arrested again last June. She has 20 days to appeal the verdict.

The headscarf, or hijab, is mandatory for all women in Iran.