UN official calls for release of imprisoned environmental activists in Iran on Nowruz

On the occasion of Nowruz, the head of the United Nations Environment Program called for the release of environmental prisoners in Iran.

Inger Andersson wrote on Twitter on Friday, April 1, in a message in both Persian and English: "On the occasion of Nowruz, I urge Iran to release imprisoned environmentalists so that they too can celebrate the rebirth of nature with their loved ones. Happy Nowruz!"

Hooman Jokar, Taher Ghadirian, Morad Tahbaz, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi, and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh are Iranian environmental activists and experts who were recently sentenced to long prison terms on security charges after two years of detention.

In recent days, a number of prisoners, including security prisoners, have been released or sent on leave in order to reduce prison overcrowding and prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, the number of political and security prisoners released is lower than that of other criminal prisoners.

The Iranian judiciary announced that a number of security prisoners serving sentences of less than five years and a number of prisoners who were on leave have been pardoned and will not return to prison. Shahnaz Akmali, the mother of Mustafa Karim Beigi, environmental activist Abdolreza Koohpayeh, and a number of Gonabadi dervishes are among the prisoners who have been released. Nazanin Zaghari has also been on leave after about four years.

However, seven other environmental prisoners remain in prison.

Source: Voice of America