Judiciary's Protest Against UN Official's Reaction to Seyed Emami's Death in Prison

Iran's judiciary has protested the UN Environment Chief's statement regarding the death of environmental activist Kavous Seyed Emami in prison, accusing the U.S. of using environmental issues as a cover for military aggression and terrorist actions against Iran. The Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian judiciary described reports about Seyed Emami's death as 'extensive, undocumented, and hostile propaganda' without providing details about his arrest and death. Following Seyed Emami's death, Eric Solheim, the UN Environment Chief, urged the Iranian government to respect the activities of environmental advocates. He noted the pressures faced by environmental activists in Iran, stating, 'We closely monitor these cases in Iran and want respect for the activities of environmental defenders in Iran and around the world.' However, the Iranian Human Rights Headquarters accused the U.S. of exploiting environmental activities as a cover for 'hostile purposes, particularly military aggression and terrorist actions.' The headquarters also called on the UN and relevant bodies to issue a serious warning to the U.S. and all countries that, according to them, 'misuse the title of environmental defender' and pursue 'illegal, hostile, and aggressive purposes.' Previously, the Tehran prosecutor and the judiciary spokesperson had accused Seyed Emami and detained environmental activists of 'espionage.' Meanwhile, Iranian television aired a film titled 'Forbidden Zone,' claiming that Seyed Emami and other detained environmental activists were engaged in 'espionage.' The film also alleged that cameras installed by these individuals to identify rare animal species in Iran were filming 'Iran's missile sites.' These claims come as the case is still under investigation, and judicial officials have previously stated that discussing details of a case without a final ruling is against the law. Previously, Mohammad Reza Tabeish, head of the Environmental Fraction of Parliament, and some academic associations rejected the judiciary's claims regarding Seyed Emami's 'espionage,' stating that 'the detainees were not political and did not have access to classified information.' Meanwhile, Amnesty International had previously stated that the Tehran prosecutor's remarks about Seyed Emami's confessions intensified concerns about the potential torture he faced. Iranian officials have previously raised the accusation of 'espionage' against several political and civil activists, with some of these activists reporting after their release that interrogators pressured them to accept these charges. Regarding the claim of Seyed Emami's 'suicide,' officials from the IRGC's intelligence organization claimed he committed suicide in his cell's restroom and showed a video to some members of parliament. However, several parliament members and Seyed Emami's lawyers stated that the available video of Seyed Emami's death in prison does not provide a clear view of the restroom and that the act of suicide is not evident. Meanwhile, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, announced that he was not convinced by the IRGC's intelligence report and was seeking more information. Motahari stated that the IRGC officials 'do not admit any wrongdoing and claim he committed suicide; we also have no strong evidence that he did not commit suicide or that something else happened.' He also mentioned that parliament cannot officially demand an explanation from the IRGC's intelligence organization, as only the Ministry of Intelligence is accountable to parliament. The deputy speaker criticized the Ministry of Intelligence's silence on this incident, stating that 'investigating espionage issues is the Ministry of Intelligence's specialty, and they should speak about it. Their silence is not appropriate.' The Iranian Minister of Intelligence had previously stated that handling espionage cases is solely within the jurisdiction of this ministry. However, IRGC intelligence officials informed parliament members that according to the Criminal Procedure Code and the statute issued by the Supreme Leader in 2006, this organization can also address espionage issues. The aired film from Iranian television stated that eight environmental activists have been detained. So far, the identities of seven of the detained activists have been confirmed, and conflicting reports have emerged regarding the detention of Kaveh Madani, the deputy head of the Department of Environment. Reports indicate that besides Kavous Seyed Emami, Hooman Jookar, the project manager for the protection of the Asiatic cheetah, Taher Ghadirian, Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khalighi, and Niloufar Bayani, environmental activists, as well as Sepideh Kashani, Hooman Jookar's wife and former advisor to the UN Environment Program, have also been detained.