Third Court Session for Environmental Activists; Security Forces' Attempts to Create New Film Against Prisoners

The third court session for eight environmental activists was held amid reports of security forces attempting to create a new film against these activists. Meanwhile, the families of these prisoners sent a new letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, referring to the interrogation of these environmental activists 'under harsh conditions and imposed pressure,' demanding their release. The third court session took place on Tuesday, February 23, in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, and was held behind closed doors. As in previous sessions, only 'trusted' lawyers from the judiciary were present. The judiciary has not disclosed details of this session or previous court sessions. According to reports, Niloufar Bayani, one of the eight imprisoned environmental activists, stated in the second court session that she confessed under pressure and due to threats from interrogators. Meanwhile, the Iran Human Rights Campaign website reported, citing 'an informed source,' that security agents took Niloufar Bayani 'blindfolded and in ordinary clothes' to several locations in Tehran in October. According to this report, the agents suggested she get her hair cut at a salon, buy some clothes from a shopping center, and relax in a villa with 'a pool, a ping pong table, and other recreational facilities.' According to this 'informed source,' Niloufar Bayani rejected this offer and 'sat in the car for hours without getting out' with her female guard. After several hours, she got out of the car to go to the bathroom and noticed that 'one of the plainclothes agents was filming all her movements from behind a tree.' According to this 'informed source,' these actions by the agents were a 'scenario' to create a film that would depict Niloufar Bayani 'having fun.' In previous years, Iranian television has broadcast films of some prisoners, claiming these films were recorded before their arrests. However, some of these prisoners have stated after their release that agents took them to desired locations during their detention and recorded these films. On July 4, security agents also went to the home of Kavous Seyed Emami to create a film. Ramin Seyed Emami, the son of Kavous Seyed Emami, wrote on his personal Instagram page that agents took 'six large boxes' to the 'basement' of his father's house 'without allowing anyone to witness their activities.' Kavous Seyed Emami, who was arrested along with these eight imprisoned environmental activists, died in prison two weeks after his arrest. In a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the families of the imprisoned environmental activists stated that after a year, Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khalighi, Hooman Jokar, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Taher Ghaderian, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, and Morad Tahbaz remain in 'temporary detention' by the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards. Some families of these eight environmental activists had previously written a letter to the Supreme Leader in September, demanding their release, the lifting of 'restrictions,' 'access to a lawyer,' and the provision of 'fair trial conditions.' In a new letter to the Supreme Leader, published on Tuesday, these families demanded their release. The letter stated that security agents had deprived these environmental activists of having a lawyer for a long time 'contrary to the explicit text of the law' and sent their case to court after nine interrogations 'under harsh conditions and imposed pressure.' Three court sessions for the environmental activists were held without the presence of their chosen lawyers and with the presence of 'trusted lawyers from the judiciary.' It had previously been reported that Abolqasem Salavati, the judge in the case of the eight environmental activists, requested Sam Rajabi to dismiss his lawyer, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi. Ultimately, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi reported that Sam Rajabi, on February 21, informed his mother in a phone call from prison that he had dismissed him as his lawyer. However, before this phone call, Mohammad Farahani, the editor-in-chief of the Mizan news agency affiliated with the judiciary, tweeted to Mr. Aghasi that Sam Rajabi had dismissed him as his lawyer. Meanwhile, Katayoun Rajabi, Sam Rajabi's sister, wrote in a letter to Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, 'How is it possible that the editor-in-chief of the Mizan news agency raises this issue, and then my brother says in a phone call that he has dismissed his lawyer?' She emphasized that her brother 'has been deprived of choosing his own lawyer.' The presence of trusted lawyers from the judiciary in the court session and the absence of chosen lawyers occurs while the head and other officials of the judiciary had previously announced that these lawyers only attend during the interrogation phase and that political and security defendants can introduce their chosen lawyers for court. On November 21 of this year, more than a thousand specialists and environmental activists testified in a letter to Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, that the detained environmental activists in Iran had 'no suspicious activities' and had protected the country's nature 'within the framework of the law, without pay or expectation.'