An Environmental Activist Arrested in Sanandaj

Government agents in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, stormed the home of Jamshid Charkhar, an environmental activist and member of the "Chal Chameh" mountaineering group, and arrested him. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, citing informed sources, the reason for the arrest of this 55-year-old citizen is his environmental activities. No news has yet been published regarding the charges and the location of this citizen from Sanandaj. Environmental activists have faced multiple instances of political and security charges under pressure from the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic, leading to arrests or imprisonment. The Azerbaijani Political Prisoners Defense Association in Iran, ADAP, reported in Esfand 1402 (February-March 2024) the sentencing of Afshin Nazari, an environmental activist residing in Tehran, to imprisonment following accusations such as "propaganda against the regime," "insulting the leadership," and "membership in anti-revolutionary groups." This comes as ADAP reported that this environmental activist had previously called for action regarding "severe industrial pollution in the Aras River" by releasing a video. Earlier, Pouran Nazemi, a human rights activist in Iran, told Voice of America about the increasing pressures from the Islamic Republic on activists, stating that "the security pressures being exerted by the Islamic Republic on activists these days are greater than in all these years" and that "it doesn't matter whether you are an environmental activist, a civil activist, or a political activist." A ranger in Miankaleh prevented the removal of construction materials and was arrested. The crisis in Isfahan has intensified; 12 subsidence incidents were recorded in one month. The impact of acid rains and factory pollution has led to the deterioration of parts of the inscriptions at the tomb of Ferdowsi. Narges Mohammadi stated that the cases against environmental activists are "one of the most deceptive cases of the security agencies."