Families of Imprisoned Environmental Activists Appeal to Khamenei

Families of eight detained environmental activists in Iran have sent a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, published on Tuesday, requesting access to "lawyers and fair trial conditions." The letter was written by the families of Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi, Abdolreza Koohpayeh, Niloufar Bayani, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz, Hooman Jokar, and Taher Ghaderian, who were arrested in February 2018. In February 2018, nine environmental activists were detained, and subsequently, others were arrested on charges of "espionage." In the letter, the families express concern for the detainees' conditions, stating that their attempts to access the Tehran prosecutor have been "fruitless." The authors of the letter describe other judicial and governmental officials they have met as "only good listeners." The families refer to these eight environmental activists as "the most reputable activists and experts in environmental protection and lovers of nature in Iran," who have "always worked within the law, selflessly dedicating their youth to the protection of Iran's nature." In the letter addressed to Ali Khamenei, the families express their "heartfelt certainty" that their children "have not committed the slightest mistake, let alone these heavy and unbelievable accusations." They further request their release from Khamenei, asking for the removal of "restrictions," "access to lawyers," and the provision of "fair trial conditions." The families have previously written to several other officials of the Islamic Republic, repeatedly requesting the release of their children who have been accused of "espionage." The espionage charges against them have been raised by the judiciary and the IRGC intelligence organization, while the Ministry of Intelligence has repeatedly denied these accusations. In this context, Isa Kalantari, head of Iran's Environmental Organization, stated last week in an interview with IRNA news agency: "We are not saying these individuals should be freed or executed, but we demand a resolution for their situation, which is part of our civil rights." Mr. Kalantari also emphasized that "the Minister of Intelligence is the only official authority to declare someone a spy, and he has officially stated that these individuals are not spies." Earlier this September, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, responded to the request for the release of these activists by saying: "Should everything they want be done? An indictment has been issued for five of these defendants, and it has gone to court." Judicial officials claim that these environmental activists have "provided classified information from sensitive centers to foreign intelligence services." IRNA news agency noted the prolonged process of handling the cases of these activists, asking: "Does this prolongation relate to a lack of sufficient information about the case [from the judiciary]?" The state-affiliated news agency raises the question that when the Ministry of Intelligence, as the main authority on espionage and evidence collection in this area, denies these individuals' espionage accusations, why have judicial officials stated that "there is sufficient evidence for this case?" IRNA also referred to the "suspicious" death of Kavous Seyed Emami, a professor at Imam Sadiq University and head of the Persian Wildlife Institute, in prison, calling for accountability to the public in this regard. Kavous Seyed Emami, a university professor and environmental activist, was also arrested along with these eight individuals, and on February 21, his family was informed that he had "committed suicide" in prison, a claim his family has denied. Amnesty International has described the "prevention of independent investigations" into Seyed Emami's "very suspicious death" as a sign of a "deliberate and planned effort to conceal any evidence of torture and murder."