Head of Environmental Protection Organization Calls for Resolution of Environmental Activists’ Cases
The head of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization called once again for the release or resolution of imprisoned environmental activists’ cases.
According to IRNA news agency, Issa Kalantari said on Sunday, September 18, that these individuals must have their cases resolved, which is part of their civil rights.
Last December, Kavous Seyed-Emami, along with 9 other environmental activists and experts, were arrested by the Sepah Intelligence Organization. Shortly after, prison officials informed Mr. Seyed-Emami’s family that he had committed suicide in prison.
His death triggered significant reactions in Canada and the United States, and several human rights organizations criticized the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Republic’s judicial system announced that the detainees were charged with “espionage.” Islamic Republic Radio and Television claimed that Mr. Seyed-Emami, a university professor and director of the Pars Heritage Wildlife Foundation Institute, and his colleagues used cameras for photographing leopards to film Sepah missile sites and provided information about these sites to foreign intelligence agencies.
However, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization rejected this accusation, stating that these cameras are only capable of photographing within a 50-meter radius around them.
Mr. Kalantari emphasized again on Sunday that according to the Ministry of Intelligence, the arrested environmental activists have not committed espionage. According to him, the findings of a four-member committee appointed by the president to investigate this matter also indicate that there is no evidence of espionage by these individuals.
Morteza Arianzadeh, Niloofar Bayani, Houman Jokar, Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi, Hassan Raagh, Sam Rajabi, Aref Zaree, Alireza Farhadzdeh, Taher Ghodiri, Abdolreza Kohpayeh, and Hamideh Kashani Doost are the arrested environmental activists and experts.
Mr. Kalantari said that the fate of these defendants was supposed to be determined by the end of summer, while the date of their trial has not yet been announced.
Source: Voice of America
