Iran's Attorney General Calls Detained Environmental Activists 'Infiltrators'

While more than 9 months have passed since the 'temporary detention' of environmental activists, and some of them have recently faced new charges of 'corruption on earth', Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, labeled the detainees as 'infiltrators' and stated: 'The evidence of their infiltration is fully available.' According to Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said on Wednesday evening, December 7, in a meeting in Qom: 'For several years, the U.S. and Israel have infiltrated through their agents in the environment in sensitive and vital locations of the country and have set up their cameras to monitor, for example, a certain animal.' Eight environmental activists and wildlife experts in Iran were arrested last February and accused of 'spying'; however, the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic has repeatedly emphasized that this ministry is the 'only authority to determine espionage' and stated that the detainees are not spies. Nevertheless, the Attorney General of Iran, in his remarks on Wednesday, referred to the detained activists as 'infiltrators in the environment' and said: 'The evidence of their infiltration is fully available.' Over the more than 9 months since the detention of environmental activists in Iran, despite internal and external requests, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has not referred to any specific evidence or sign and has only emphasized 'infiltration through the environment' or other vague titles. 'Infiltration' is a term frequently used by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has warned about it repeatedly since August 2015, following the signing of the JCPOA. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, warned in November 2015 that some factions and political figures are trying to 'accuse or marginalize' their opponents by 'misusing' this term; however, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic responded to these remarks by saying: 'The claim that some individuals want to use infiltration for factional purposes does not diminish the importance of the enemy's infiltration discussion.' Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, in his recent statements, said: 'The enemy's aggression, many details of which are not disclosed to the public and should not be disclosed,' includes 'economic warfare', 'soft warfare', and 'infiltration warfare'. This judicial official also expressed regret over 'the support that was given to infiltrators.' In addition to the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, which has denied the 'spy' status of the environmental detainees, many political figures in Iran have also declared the detainees innocent and called for their release. According to Eisa Kalantari, the head of Iran's Environmental Organization, the ministers of intelligence, interior, justice, and the legal deputy of the president have concluded that there is no evidence for the espionage of the detained activists. Kavous Seyed Emami, a university professor and environmental activist, died in the custody of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence in February of last year, and the Revolutionary Guards claimed that he committed suicide in prison; however, Seyed Emami's family and the deputy speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have rejected this claim. Eight other prisoners in this case remain in 'temporary detention', and some of them have faced new charges: Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer for some of the detainees, told Radio Farda about a month ago that the charge against five of these activists has changed from 'spying' to 'corruption on earth'. According to some reports, the five individuals against whom this charge has been raised are Morad Tahbaz, Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jookar, Sepideh Kashani, and Taher Ghadirian. The continued pressure on environmental activists comes at a time when two days ago, Fars News Agency reported the arrest of several individuals in the 'population control' sector and labeled them as 'infiltrators.'