Har Mansouri, Environmental Activist and Protester Against Miankaleh Petrochemical Project Released on Bail

Har Mansouri, an environmental activist, was released on bail one day after his arrest at the press conference for the Miankaleh petrochemical project on Wednesday, July 4. Mr. Mansouri, who is considered a serious critic of the construction of the 'Amirabad Petrochemical in Mazandaran', had expressed concerns in recent weeks about the resumption of the petrochemical investor's activities in the Hosseinabad pasture. In recent years, whistleblowers exposing corruption within government agencies and affiliates of the Islamic Republic have consistently faced punitive actions, including arrests. However, according to domestic media reports, despite the opposition of judicial authorities and the Environmental Protection Organization to the implementation of this project, the investor has begun fencing off the area. While the judiciary has identified the executor of the Miankaleh project as a major bank debtor, the owner has managed to acquire 90 hectares of land for the construction of this project. According to Fatemeh Vaez-Javadi, former head of the Environmental Organization, a petrochemical facility requires no more than 10 to 15 hectares of land. Critics of the project argue that the petrochemical activity in the Miankaleh region will lead to the destruction of the ecosystem and all dependent organisms. Fatemeh Vaez-Javadi described Miankaleh and Anzali Wetland as two highly sensitive areas in a conversation with the IRNA news agency on June 27, 2022, and pointed out multiple flaws in the Miankaleh petrochemical project, stating that industries like petrochemicals severely damage the sea. The Miankaleh region was introduced to UNESCO as one of the biosphere reserves in 1976. Nikahang Kowsar, a journalist and analyst in the water and environment sector, previously described the Miankaleh wetland as a victim of corrupt individuals in the Islamic Republic in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America. Reports from Voice of America indicate ongoing struggles and attempts to construct in Miankaleh and the water basin of the Gulf of Gorgan, with the continuation of the Miankaleh petrochemical project despite opposition; the executor is identified as a 'major bank debtor'. Five wetlands on the brink of extinction have placed Iran at the top of the 'Ramsar Convention' list. From Miankaleh to Ardabil, the destruction of Iranian heritage is being carried out in the name of industrial development. The entry of wastewater into the Caspian Sea puts sturgeon fish at risk of extinction.