The 'Citizen Rights Charter' of Rouhani's Government and the Seyed Emami Case

A member of parliament, in an interview published on Wednesday, March 2, criticized the government and the judicial and security apparatus of the Islamic Republic regarding the case of Kavous Seyed Emami, accusing them of 'negligence.' Kavous Seyed Emami, an Iranian-Canadian citizen, university professor, and environmental activist, died in prison two weeks after his arrest. The theory of Mr. Seyed Emami's suicide in prison was initially raised by the IRGC's intelligence, and since then, officials of the Islamic Republic and state television have insisted that his death was due to 'suicide,' but international organizations are calling for clarification of the details of this case. No one has yet answered the question of what conditions led this accused to commit suicide before going to court and receiving a conviction. Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a representative from Rasht, also points to these conditions and holds the Hassan Rouhani government primarily responsible in this case, 'because according to the Citizen Rights Charter prepared by this government itself, they have not taken any steps.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, signed a 120-article Citizen Rights Charter in late Azar, which describes searches in citizens' lives, religious and ethnic discrimination as unconstitutional, and emphasizes the rights of women and minorities. Mr. Imanabadi also criticized a 'documentary' that the Iranian state television aired about Mr. Seyed Emami, deeming this action by state television as 'not ethical or religious at all.' On Thursday night, Iranian television aired a film titled 'Forbidden Zone,' claiming that Mr. Seyed Emami and other detained environmental activists were engaged in 'espionage.' The film also claimed that cameras installed by these individuals to identify rare animal species in Iran were filming 'Iran's missile sites.' Previously, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, had also criticized the airing of this documentary on Iranian state television. Mr. Jafarzadeh Imanabadi further states that the television documentary only 'increased the volume of doubts' and asks: 'Why does state television allow itself to show the most private photos and images of this individual but does not provide solid evidence for its claims about his and his colleagues' activities?' He continues by noting that 'it is said that this network has been active in Iran since 1991' and questions: 'If they were doing something illegal, then why did the relevant authorities not take action in these 26 years?' In the film aired by Iranian television and also in previous statements by the Tehran prosecutor, the detained individuals have been accused of seeking 'to create a crisis in some environmental areas of Iran.' The airing of this film has led to significant protests on social media. According to reports, besides Kavous Seyed Emami, Hooman Jokar, the manager of the Asiatic cheetah conservation project, Taher Ghaderian, Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, and Niloufar Bayani, environmental activists, and Sepideh Kashani, the wife of Hooman Jokar and a former advisor to the UN Environment Program, have also been arrested. In this context, in the film aired about Kavous Seyed Emami, 'the moment of death is not seen.' 'The promise' of Iranian security and judicial officials to lift the house arrest 'by the end of the year.' The judiciary's objection to the reaction of a UN official to Seyed Emami's death in prison. The Kayhan newspaper: The case of the protesters arrested with Seyed Emami should also be addressed. Seyed Emami's lawyers: We will sue the officials of the television program.