Despite International Protests Over Continued Detention of Environmental Activists; Case Hearing Postponed to Next Year
As international protests against the Islamic Republic continue over the ongoing detention of environmental activists in Iran, domestic media reported that the hearing of the environmental activists’ case has been postponed to year 1398 (2019).
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, March 17 (26 Esfand), that the reason for postponing the review of this case to the new year was attributed to the “final days of the year” and the responsibility of the judge of branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court with the “file of accused financial institution officials” in the Special Court for Economic Corruption.
No specific date has yet been announced for hearing this case in 1398.
According to the report, so far five sessions of group court and three sessions of individual court have been held for human rights activists as defendants in this case, with Niloufar Bayani, one of the detained environmental activists, absent from three court sessions. Additionally, three individual court sessions have addressed the charges against Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani.
These sessions are being held under circumstances in which it was previously reported that environmental activists were not allowed to have their chosen lawyers and could only work with lawyers approved by the judicial authority in court. However, according to Kazem Hosseini, one of the environmental activists’ lawyers, “the officers did not allow the lawyers to speak with them (the environmental activists) and overall maintained only greetings with their clients.”
Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jokkar, Sam Rajabi, Morad Tahbaz, Abdolreza Koohpayeh, Sepideh Kashani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, and Taher Ghadiryan are defendants in Iran’s environmental case.
These environmental activists were detained last year, and their trial began after approximately one year. Three of these individuals are charged with “espionage” and four are charged with “corruption on earth.” One person is also charged with “action against national security.”
However, the proceedings in the case of environmental activists in Iran continue amid growing concerns about torture of these activists, to the extent that international communities, including the United Nations Environment Programme office, have expressed concern through statements regarding the situation of detained environmental activists in Iran and their court conditions, and have asked the Iranian government to support those who have dedicated their lives to environmental protection.
Source: Voice of America
