Former Canadian Justice Minister Takes on Legal Representation for Seyed Emami's Family

According to reports, Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice of Canada and a well-known international human rights lawyer, has taken on the legal representation of Seyed Emami's family, and Amnesty International has also urged Iranian officials to end the 'cruel' harassment against this environmental activist's family. The Canadian newspaper 'Globe and Mail' reported that Mr. Cotler began his work as the international legal advisor for Seyed Emami's family about a month ago. The newspaper also added that Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Foreign Minister, discussed the Seyed Emami family issue with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, on Tuesday, July 5. Last month, Ms. Freeland had also asked Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, to help resolve this matter. Kavous Seyed Emami, a university professor and Iranian-Canadian citizen, was among the environmental activists arrested last February in Iran, and security agents later informed his family that he had 'committed suicide' in prison. This claim has been rejected by Seyed Emami's family and has raised doubts among several members of parliament. Maryam Mambini, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen, was banned from leaving the country after her husband's death in Evin prison and remains in Iran. Seyed Emami's children, Ramin and Mehran Seyed Emami, who currently reside in Vancouver, Canada, are trying to bring their mother to Canada. The news of Mr. Cotler's legal representation comes as Ramin Seyed Emami previously reported that security agents transferred 'six large boxes' to the basement of their family home on Monday, July 4, coinciding with the Iran vs. Portugal football match, and interrogated his mother 'in front of the camera.' Arash Keykhosravi, the family's lawyer in Iran, told Radio Farda that during the security forces' raid, Ms. Mambini's health deteriorated, and an ambulance was called to the house to take her to the hospital. On the other hand, Amnesty International, in a statement on Thursday, July 7, called for an end to the 'cruel campaign' against the Seyed Emami family and urged Iranian authorities to 'immediately lift the travel ban' on Maryam Mambini and allow her to join her family in Canada. Several environmental activists, including Kavous Seyed Emami, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen and professor at Imam Sadiq University, were arrested last February on charges of 'espionage.' Two weeks after Kavous Seyed Emami's arrest, on February 21, 2018, his family was informed that he had 'committed suicide' in prison. Amnesty International has described the 'prevention of independent investigations' into Kavous Seyed Emami's 'suspicious death' as a sign of a 'deliberate and planned effort to conceal any evidence of torture and murder.'