Prosecution Insists on Spying Charges Against Imprisoned Environmental Activists; Effort to Influence Court Decision

One day after the country’s Prosecutor General described the espionage of eight imprisoned environmental activists as “definitive,” an informed source familiar with the case told Iran Human Rights Campaign regarding this statement and the court proceedings so far: “It is shocking when the court is still in session and no verdict has been issued yet, none of the charges have been proven, many government institutions speak of the detainees’ innocence, and at the same time the Tehran prosecutor says these people are spies. Such statements are clearly political and are made to influence the court’s decision but have no credibility.”

He added: “The prisoners’ families are as if in limbo. From yesterday until now, I think these statements are a continuation of previous statements made to tell the public that their arrest and detention for more than a year was correct and legal, and some people’s objections to their detention are incorrect.“

This informed source said: “The families don’t know anything about the progress of the cases. The children’s lawyers only tell the families that everything will be resolved, but we really don’t know where this will end and whether the lawyers have the necessary and sufficient legal defense for their clients or not. Until the end of the court, we are not actually aware of what is happening and why the authorities are so insistent on calling them spies when the court has not yet concluded and the defendants have not defended themselves.“

According to this source, some of the detainees require serious medical care in prison.

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Prosecutor General of the country, said on the 15th of Esfand in his press conference that the espionage charge against environmental activists is “definitive” and they are awaiting the court’s ruling.

The Prosecutor General in a brief statement said:“In the capacity of prosecutor, given the reasons and evidence, their espionage is definitive and we are awaiting the court’s examination and verdict.” “ However, the Iranian prosecutor provided no explanation about the evidence and reasons that led to the certainty of espionage charges against these eight environmental activists.

So far, four closed-door court sessions were held on the 10th, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of Bahman for reading the indictment in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Salwati. Ms. Bayani in the second court session spoke of pressure and threats leading to forced confessions. After that, two separate court sessions were held for Morad Tahbaz on the 5th and 6th of Esfand in closed sessions. And the first defense session of Niloofar Bayani on the 7th of Esfand did not take place due to the court advisor’s absence.

Previously, Montazeri, the Prosecutor General, also once called the arrested environmental activists “infiltrators” on the 7th of Azar 97 and said they were “agents of America and Israel.” However, at that time too, he claimed without evidence for his assertion that “documents of their infiltration are completely available.” But he did not even explain part of these documents.

Four of these eight people had their charges changed months after their arrest from espionage to the serious charge of “corruption on earth.” Abbas Jafari Dowlatabad, the Tehran prosecutor, said on the 2nd of Aban 97 in response to criticism from some officials, including parliament members and the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, regarding the change in the charge title after 9 months of temporary detention that the judiciary and prosecutor can change titles and charges at any time: “No one can object to the prosecutor or investigator in this regard.”“

Isa Kalantari, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, on the 2nd of Aban called the new charge of “corruption on earth” for some arrested environmental activists “alleged” that should be investigated.

While judicial authorities and hardline newspapers emphasize the espionage of these environmental activists, so far the Minister of Intelligence, the National Security Council, and the head of the Environmental Protection Organization have announced that there is no reason for the espionage charge against them and they should be released.

Mahmoud Sadeghi, a parliament member, announced in Bahman 97 in a tweet that the National Security Council also did not identify these people’s activities as espionage: “According to information received, the Supreme National Security Council also, after professional review of the environmental activists’ case file, did not identify the defendants’ activities as espionage.”

Mahmoud Sadeghi earlier in Ordibehesht 97 also wrote on his Twitter that the Minister of Intelligence told them they had not found any reason for the espionage of eight arrested environmental activists.

Also, Isa Kalantari, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, said in Khordad 97: “Based on the determination of the four-member committee of the government council, “the arrested activists should be released because there is no document to prove the charges that have been leveled against these people.” “

The late Kavous Seyed Emami, Sam Rajabi, Homan Jokar, Niloofar Bayani, Morad Tahbaz, Taher Ghadirian, Amirhossein Khaleghi, and Sepideh Kashani are employees and managers of the “Pars Wildlife Heritage Institute” who were arrested on the 4th and 5th of Bahman 96. The Pars Wildlife Heritage office was also sealed after Kavous Seyed Emami and his colleagues’ arrest on the 4th of Bahman. Kavous Seyed Emami died two weeks later in his cell at Evin Prison, and prison officials called it suicide, but an independent investigation into the death of this university professor and environmental activist in prison was never conducted. The rest of these people remain in detention and occasionally have phone contact with their families and in-person visits with the presence of prison guards.

Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign