Criticism in Parliament: Kaveh Madani is Driven Out While Saeed Mortazavi is Free

The head of the Parliamentary Civil Rights faction referred to Kaveh Madani's resignation and departure from Iran, coinciding with the 'disappearance' of Saeed Mortazavi, one of the defendants in the Kahrizak case from 2009, describing the situation as 'unpleasant.' Abdulkarim Hossein-zadeh, in an interview with ILNA news agency, stated, 'It is regrettable that while pressure is being exerted on Kaveh Madani, Mortazavi easily escapes the law.' He noted that at the beginning of a year named for supporting Iranian goods, 'individuals like Kaveh Madani, who are products of Iranian culture, are driven out of the country... while offenders like Mortazavi are treated leniently.' His remarks referred to reports of Madani's resignation during a trip abroad and the approval of Isa Kalantari, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, following increased pressures on him. Kaveh Madani, born in 1981 in Tehran and a former professor of system analysis and policy-making at the prestigious Imperial College London, was invited to work in Iran's Environmental Protection Organization during Hassan Rouhani's second term and served as the deputy of the organization. Following accusations of 'espionage' against several environmental activists in Iran and the arrest of some, including Kavous Seyed Emami, news of Kaveh Madani's arrest also surfaced. Although this news was not officially confirmed and judicial authorities did not provide explanations regarding the reason for Madani's arrest or his connection to the 'espionage' case of several detained environmental activists, this event marked the beginning of pressures against him. In April of this year, some principlist media published images from a party at the Islamic Republic building in Malaysia, claiming that Madani was 'partying and dancing,' asserting that such a person should not hold a managerial position in the Islamic Republic. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported on Tuesday (April 16) citing a 'reliable source' that Kaveh Madani, deputy of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, had left the country. Iranian domestic media announced on Wednesday that Nasser Moghadassi, former head of the Supreme Council of Forests, has replaced Kaveh Madani. The publication of these news items coincided with statements from Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, spokesman for the judiciary, that the judiciary has been unable to 'catch' Saeed Mortazavi, the defendant in the Kahrizak case, to enforce his prison sentence, sparking significant reactions in the virtual space. Saeed Mortazavi, former prosecutor of Tehran, who was sentenced to two years in prison in the case of the deaths of three prisoners in Kahrizak detention center, has not yet presented himself to judicial authorities. Journalist Saideh Islamieh reacted on Twitter, stating: 'Hide Saeed Mortazavis in the closet and let Kaveh Madanis leave the country. When it comes to country and homeland, only war appears in your imagination, while you imprison and restrict those who care for the prosperity and freedom of the homeland. This is the essence of the Islamic Republic's 40-year effort for a land called Iran.' Meanwhile, some Hezbollah activists on social media expressed happiness about this event, evaluating the campaign to publish images of Kaveh Madani as a 'successful project.' Abdulkarim Hossein-zadeh also referred to Kaveh Madani as a 'distinguished scientist and prominent environmental activist' and stated that his departure from Iran due to 'mismanagement' is 'a clear example of poor human resource management and a significant loss of human capital.' He added that similar behavior has been directed towards cultural figures like Asghar Farhadi and Mohammad Reza Shajarian, questioning, 'Why should a space be created where our human capital does not remain in the country? Is it really necessary to tighten the space for these elites to operate?' This representative noted that this incident occurs in a year dedicated to supporting Iranian goods, adding, 'Individuals like Kaveh Madani are products of Iranian culture; why should we drive them out of the country at the beginning of a year named for supporting Iranian goods and relying on domestic capabilities while treating offenders like Mortazavi leniently?' The reformist representative from Naqdeh and Oshnavieh in the Islamic Consultative Assembly regarded this as a kind of 'contradiction with the slogan of the year' and stated that the timing of Madani's departure and Mortazavi's disappearance is 'significant.' He considers what the judiciary spokesman implicitly referred to as Mortazavi's disappearance as an example of uncertainty in dealing with those who have delayed development and endangered the country's resources. Hossein-zadeh expressed hope that just as the General Prosecutor's Office was 'worried and anxious' about the opposition of Tehran City Council members to the resignation of Mohammad Ali Najafi, the former mayor of Tehran, it would also be concerned about 'the departure of individuals like Madani from the country.' He stated that the prosecutor's office should be 'worried about the pressures against Madani and the environment that has facilitated this elite's departure from the country.' The vice president of the Environmental Protection faction in the tenth parliament also called on the Environmental Protection Organization and other government bodies, which he claims created the 'conditions' for Kaveh Madani's presence in Iran, to 'stand behind their forces and support him.' What is termed as 'negligence' by the judiciary in dealing with Saeed Mortazavi has also sparked significant reactions in the Persian-speaking virtual space. Journalist Masoud Kazemi tweeted that 'we had gone to the appeals court for the Kahrizak case. Saeed Mortazavi, upon leaving, only uttered one sentence in response to our objections as journalists wanting to ask our questions: I will not go to prison in this regime.' Several other social media users, pointing to what they termed 'lack of necessary will' to deal with Mortazavi, have raised speculations about the possibility of 'helping him escape.' Azar Mansouri, a well-known reformist figure, also wrote: 'It is naive to reduce the series of actions taken against Mortazavi with newspapers, political activists... and the Kahrizak tragedy during his tenure to his personal decisions, and today we are searching for a missing person named Saeed Mortazavi. The main missing element is fair trial and ending the judiciary's involvement in the political equations of the country.' Reyhaneh Tabatabai, a reformist journalist who has been imprisoned multiple times, also tweeted: 'Majid Moghadam, a victim of Kahrizak, was released on leave during the holiday, he is ill, and his mother asked the prosecutor's office to agree to extend the leave so he could receive treatment, but it was not approved. They said if he does not return, the bail will be confiscated. Saeed Mortazavi, the Kahrizak judge, has set a bail of five billion, and for now, it is unclear where he is. No bail is threatened with confiscation.' According to today's report from Etemad newspaper, Homa Fallah Tafti, Saeed Mortazavi's wife, stated that he is in Tehran, but 'he is not at home' and 'is looking for {the implementation of} Article 477.' As Tabnak reported, according to this article, if the head of the judiciary considers a definitive ruling issued by any judicial authority to be contrary to 'Sharia,' he may authorize a retrial and send the case to the Supreme Court 'to be reviewed and a definitive ruling issued in specific branches allocated by the head of the judiciary.' In this context, the deputy of the Environmental Protection Organization 'has announced his resignation and has not returned to Iran.'