Rouhani Appoints Four-Member Committee to Address 'Unpleasant Incidents' in Detention Centers

Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Wednesday, February 14, appointed a four-member committee of government members to 'address and follow up on unpleasant incidents in some detention centers.' According to ISNA news agency, based on this order, the ministers of interior, intelligence, justice, and the legal deputy of the president were tasked with 'investigating and closely following the details of the matter and reporting their findings, including any possible negligence or fault, to the president.' This order was issued four days after it was announced that Kavous Seyed Emami, a professor at Imam Sadiq University and CEO of 'Persian Heritage Wildlife,' died in a security forces prison on February 8, two weeks after his arrest. Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, announced on February 10 the arrest of several environmental activists on charges of 'spying for foreigners.' Mr. Seyed Emami was among those arrested, but Iranian judicial authorities did not provide information on this matter until his death was announced by his son. On February 13, Mr. Dolat Abadi also made numerous accusations against the detained environmental activists, claiming that they were collecting information from sensitive and vital locations in the country, including missile bases, and providing it to U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. Isa Kalantari, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, rejected the espionage claims involving environmental cameras, stating that the cameras installed to monitor cheetahs have a maximum range of 50 meters. He mentioned that this issue has also been discussed within the government and that the Ministry of Intelligence is currently following up on the matter. In this context, the Tehran prosecutor claimed that Kavous Seyed Emami committed 'suicide' in prison, as he allegedly knew that there were many confessions against him and unfortunately took his own life in prison. The death of Kavous Seyed Emami has sparked widespread domestic and international reactions. On Wednesday, a meeting was held with officials from the judiciary, Ministry of Intelligence, Environmental Organization, and IRGC Intelligence Organization with members of the parliamentary environment faction regarding the arrest of environmental activists and the issue of Kavous Seyed Emami's death. Fatemeh Zolghadr, a member of parliament, stated that during this meeting, the deputy of IRGC Intelligence explained that according to the criminal procedure code passed by parliament in 2013, the IRGC has the authority to enter the case. Additionally, according to the charter issued by the Supreme Leader in 2006, dealing with foreign nationals and espionage cases falls under this organization. According to this parliament member, the Ministry of Intelligence 'was not very aware of the matters.' Ms. Zolghadr also mentioned that reports from IRGC Intelligence indicated that these environmental activists 'had photographed sensitive areas, including areas near missile sites, and even attempted to send some images.' While the IRGC is handling this case, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, stated that combating espionage is a specialized task of the Ministry of Intelligence and that it is better for the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence not to interfere in each other's work. Meanwhile, the National Unity Party of Iran has sent an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, requesting the president to follow up on this matter. Human Rights Watch, referring to the death of Kavous Seyed Emami during detention and other cases of 'suspicious deaths' in Iranian prisons, has called for 'immediate independent investigations.' Amnesty International also considered the 'prevention of independent investigations' into the 'very suspicious death' of Kavous Seyed Emami as a sign of a 'deliberate and planned effort to conceal any evidence of torture and murder.'