Reactions to the Release of Environmentalists Following Khamenei's 'Pardon': The Islamic Republic Takes a 'Posture of Justice'

News sources in Iran reported the release of two more defendants in the case known as the environmentalists on Tuesday, April 21. According to reports and images shared on social media, with the release of Sepideh Kashani and Taher Ghaderian on Tuesday, all defendants in this case are now free except for Kavous Seyed Emami, who lost his life in prison. Hooman Jokar, Niloofar Bayani, Taher Ghaderian, and Sepideh Kashani, four of the defendants in the environmental case, were released from prison after six years of imprisonment on charges of 'espionage' due to the 'pardon of the leader' of the Islamic Republic. 'Shargh Network' reported on Sunday, April 19, that the Human Rights Deputy of the Judiciary informed several defendants in the 'environmentalists' case in prison that they were included in the recent pardon of the leader and that 'this matter will be announced for the execution of sentences in the coming days.' Hajjat Karami, the lawyer for the environmental prisoners, also confirmed this news and expressed hope that his clients would be released in the coming days. The release of environmental activists has sparked reactions on social media. Shahin Milani, a human rights researcher, expressed his happiness about the release of environmental prisoners on X, stating: 'But this thought does not leave me: who will answer for this injustice? How will the years spent behind bars be compensated? When will the Islamic Republic be punished for killing Kavous Seyed Emami?' Journalist Masoud Kazemi described the environmentalists' case as 'a complete mirror of the Islamic Republic' and added: 'They imprison specialists through fabricated cases, one of them (Kavous Seyed Emami) is killed, and the rest remain in prison for years with heavy sentences.' He emphasized the various forms of 'insult, humiliation, torture, and unjust imprisonment' faced by these environmental activists, stating that the officials of the Islamic Republic are now taking a 'posture of justice' by releasing them under the title of 'pardon.' In Bahman 1396 (January 2018), eight environmental activists in Iran were arrested, and less than a month later, Kavous Seyed Emami, one of the defendants, suspiciously lost his life in prison. Two years later, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced that in this case, Morad Tahbaz and Niloofar Bayani were sentenced to 10 years in prison, Taher Ghaderian and Hooman Jokar to 8 years, Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashani, and Amir Hossein Khaleqi to 6 years, and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh to 4 years in prison. The charges against these individuals were declared as 'espionage,' but the Ministry of Intelligence under Hassan Rouhani's government and the Environmental Organization at that time stated that they did not consider these environmental activists as 'spies.'