Maryam Momeni, wife of Kavous Seyed Emami, hospitalized

According to reports, Maryam Momeni, the wife of Kavous Seyed Emami, a university professor and environmental activist who died in custody of the IRGC last February, has been hospitalized. Ramin Seyed Emami, who is known by his artistic name 'King Ram' on social media, wrote on the evening of Wednesday, May 16, that his mother was hospitalized for three days due to 'mental distress.' It is unclear whether she is still hospitalized. Ramin Seyed Emami stated that his mother, in addition to being unable to escape the 'injustice of Kavous Seyed Emami's death,' must also endure 'separation from her children.' The children of Kavous Seyed Emami announced on March 7 that security agents prevented their mother from leaving the country at the airport when they were trying to leave Iran. A few days later, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, emphasized that 'Iran must answer questions regarding the death of Kavous Seyed Emami in prison' and called for Maryam Momeni to be allowed to join her children in Canada. In his recent note about his mother, Ramin Seyed Emami asked, 'Why should a mother, a wife, a human face such violence?' He also questioned why 'the fear of future violence' should overshadow this family's life. Iranian judicial authorities have not provided a reason for preventing Maryam Momeni's departure. Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, previously told Radio Farda that 'the only reason that can be seen is the fear that Iranian authorities have regarding the emergence of the case' of Kavous Seyed Emami's death, and for this reason, they have 'taken his wife hostage.' Kavous Seyed Emami was arrested on January 24, 2018, along with several other environmental activists in Iran, and according to Iranian judicial authorities, he 'committed suicide' in prison on February 8. In addition to human rights organizations, several Iranian officials have also criticized the IRGC's actions in arresting environmental activists. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, criticized the 'security dominance over social and political issues' in the IRGC, citing experts from the Ministry of Intelligence who stated that no evidence was found to support the 'espionage' claims against the arrested activists. Ali Motahari, the vice president of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also criticized the 'case-making' against the accused and their arrest with the intent of pressuring them to obtain 'confessions.' Mohammad Reza Tabesh, head of the Environmental Faction in Parliament, and some academic figures and university associations in Iran have also rejected the claims made by judicial authorities regarding the imprisoned environmental activists. Besides Kavous Seyed Emami, some of his colleagues at the 'Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation,' including Houman Jokar, Taher Ghadirian, Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khalighi, and Sepideh Kashani, remain imprisoned. Mostafa Torkhamdani, the lawyer for these detained activists, announced on April 17 that his efforts to accept the defense of these environmental activists had failed, and he would withdraw from representing them. On the other hand, in recent weeks, new reports have emerged regarding the arrest of several other environmental activists in Hormozgan province. Some journalists and environmental activists have reported that the number of detainees exceeds 50. In this context, the Seyed Emami children have sought help from the Prime Minister of Canada for their mother's exit from Iran.