Request by Iranian Academics to Head of Judiciary for Release of Environmental Activists

More than 100 Iranian academics and researchers have issued an open letter to Ibrahim Raisi, the head of Iran’s judiciary, demanding the release of detained environmental activists from prison.

The open letter signed by 101 university professors and members of scientific committees, addressed to the head of the judiciary demanding the release of detained environmental activists, was published on Tuesday, June 25 (corresponding to Tir 4 in the Persian calendar) and coincided with the end of “Environment Week” in some Iranian media outlets. A copy of this letter was sent to Isa Kalantari, head of the Environmental Protection Organization.

The letter points out that more than 500 days have passed since a number of “the most reputable environmental experts and activists in Iran” have been held in temporary detention on charges of espionage.

According to the authors of the letter, even two intelligence agencies of the country disagree on whether the detained environmental activists have committed any crime at all: “One considers the accused to be spies, while another, which is the specialized authority for identifying espionage in the country, does not consider them spies and believes no crime has occurred and does not describe these actions as criminal, but rather as part of routine research and environmental processes.”

Continuing in the letter, this disagreement has caused “confusion and prolonged legal proceedings,” and as a result, the fate of those “who have devoted their lives to protecting Iran’s environment” remains unknown—individuals whose “presence under the current sensitive circumstances could have contributed to solving some of the country’s environmental problems.”

Disagreement Between Two Security Agencies

The open letter’s reference to Ibrahim Raisi concerns the disagreement between the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over whether the detained environmental activists are “spies.”

In the month of Bahman in 1396 (Persian calendar, corresponding to January-February 2018), a number of environmental activists were arrested, and Kavous Seyed Emami, one of the prominent scientific figures among them, died in Evin Prison that month. Islamic Republic officials claimed he committed suicide in prison but were unable to prove their claim and convince public opinion. The detention of environmental activists in various Iranian provinces continued, and the number of detainees reached dozens.

This is while, on one hand, according to several parliamentary representatives such as Mahmoud Sadeghi and Mohammad Reza Tabesh, counter-espionage experts at the Ministry of Intelligence have announced that they found no evidence of espionage by the detainees. Similarly, experts from the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission declared that the detained environmental activists are not spies.

On the other hand, for example, Hasan Firouzabadi, the senior military advisor to Khamenei, said about the detained environmental activists: “Many Iranians who are spies and many foreign spies operating in Iran don’t even know themselves that they are engaging in espionage.”

Impact of Detentions on Society

The signatories of the letter specifically referred to the imprisonment of several Iranian wildlife experts and reminded of their services: “Among the detainees are capable and recognized specialists in the country’s wildlife field such as Taher Ghadirian, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, and Hooman Jokar, who have strived for years to serve their homeland and protect the nature of this land, and have played an influential and decisive role in many species conservation projects to protect endangered species in collaboration with provincial environmental protection departments and universities, and throughout all their years of service to the nature of this country, as a model of sincere effort for national development, have motivated and instilled hope in the hearts of Iran’s young people and environmental students.”

They then pointed to the impact of the detention of environmental activists on Iranian society and youth, and demanded that this situation be changed as soon as possible and the detainees be released: “The continued detention of these individuals will only further spread despair among young people, graduates, specialists, and environmental organizations that play a decisive role in preserving and developing this land. Therefore, we request that by examining the legal details of the matter, you bring this open case to a positive conclusion.”

Warnings from Human Rights Organizations

Global human rights organizations have repeatedly called for the release of imprisoned environmental activists. According to Amnesty International, eight environmental activists named Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Hooman Jokar, Sepideh Kashani, Niloofar Bayani, Taher Ghadirian, Abdulreza Koohpaye, and Morad Tahbaz have been in prison for more than a year and may face charges such as “espionage for foreigners” and “corruption on earth,” with possible convictions of long-term imprisonment and execution.

Amnesty International, in a statement issued on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5), notes that their charges actually relate to their environmental activities, including research on Iran’s endangered wildlife.

In Amnesty International’s report on this matter, it states that the legal proceedings against these individuals have been overtly unjust, and these individuals have reported torture and mistreatment during their detention. The human rights organization has classified the detained environmental activists as prisoners of conscience and called for their immediate release.

According to Amnesty International’s report, citing media reports, at least 63 environmental activists were arrested in Iran last year. This year, more than 10 people have been arrested in this regard.

Source: DW