Amnesty International Again Calls for an End to the 'Cruel Campaign' Against the Seyed-Emami Family

Following reports of security agents' presence at the home of Kavous Seyed-Emami for 'filming' and interrogating his wife, Amnesty International once again called for an 'end to the cruel campaign' by Iranian authorities against this family. In its statement on Thursday, July 7, the human rights organization also urged Iranian officials to 'immediately lift the travel ban' on Maryam Mombini, the wife of Kavous Seyed-Emami, and allow her to join her family in Canada. Ramin Seyed-Emami, the son of Kavous Seyed-Emami, had previously reported that security agents on Tuesday, July 4, during the Iran vs. Portugal game, transferred 'six large boxes' to the basement of his father's house and interrogated his mother 'in front of the camera.' Following this, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of parliament, and Arash Kikhavari, the family's lawyer, reported that the 'raid' by security agents at Kavous Seyed-Emami's home was aimed at 'making a film titled Descent.' Mr. Kikhavari, in an interview with Radio Farda, stated that after learning of this incident, he visited his client's home and heard Mrs. Mombini crying, but the agents did not allow him to see her. According to Mr. Kikhavari, shortly after, Mrs. Mombini's condition worsened, and an ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital. After the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami, a university professor and environmental activist, in prison, the Islamic Republic's state television claimed in a film that Mr. Seyed-Emami and his colleagues had used cheetah photography cameras to film IRGC missile sites and provided information about these sites to foreign intelligence agencies. Isa Kalantari, the head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, dismissed this accusation, explaining that these cameras can only photograph a limited environment around them. Moreover, according to Payam Darvishan, the lawyer for Mr. Seyed-Emami's family, the device claimed to be a 'spy device' in the film broadcasted by Iranian television was merely a 'fishing hook.' Two weeks after Kavous Seyed-Emami's arrest, on February 10, 2018, his family was informed that he had 'committed suicide' in prison. Meanwhile, Amnesty International considers the 'prevention of independent investigations' into the 'suspicious' death of Kavous Seyed-Emami as a sign of a 'deliberate and planned effort to conceal any evidence of torture and murder.' Last Esfand, when Maryam Mombini, Kavous Seyed-Emami's wife, and their two sons intended to leave Iran for Canada, she was prevented from departing at the airport and remains banned from leaving. Amnesty International, the Iran Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, and Justice for Iran had previously stated in a joint statement in Esfand 96 that Iranian authorities must end the 'cruel campaign of harassment and threats' against the families of detainees who have suspiciously lost their lives during detention. This statement also referred to the 'freedom and threats' against the families of Sina Ghanbari, Vahid Heydari, and Saro Ghahramani, three individuals killed during last year's protests, and Mohammad Raji, a Gonabadi dervish. Along with Kavous Seyed-Emami, Sam Rajabi, Hooman Jokar, and Sepideh Kashani, his wife, Taher Ghaderian, Amir Hossein Khalighi, and Niloufar Bayani, six environmental activists and employees and managers of the 'Persian Wildlife Heritage' Institute were arrested and remain in custody. Subsequently, more than 50 environmental activists were arrested in several cities, of which only a few have been released so far.