UN Officials Urge Iran to Respect Environmental Activists

Following the death of environmental activist Kavous Seyed Emami, who died in custody last week, United Nations officials have urged the Iranian government to respect the activities of environmental advocates. According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, Erik Solheim, head of the UN Environment Program, stated, "Environmental rights are considered human rights, and we all have a duty to protect them." He noted the pressures faced by environmental activists in Iran, saying, "We are closely monitoring these cases in Iran and want respect for the activities of environmental advocates in Iran and around the world." Kavous Seyed Emami, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen and university professor, founded the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation out of his passion for environmental protection. He was buried on Tuesday, but several members of the organization he founded remain in custody, and Kaveh Madani, deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, was also detained for 72 hours a few days ago. The Iranian judiciary claims that Kavous Seyed Emami was a spy for the CIA and Mossad and committed suicide in prison. However, his family has denied this narrative and filed complaints with the responsible authorities. The Canadian government has also requested an explanation from the Iranian government regarding the death of one of its dual citizens. Iranian officials allege that he and his colleagues were spying on sensitive facilities under the guise of a census of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah. However, The Guardian reports that no evidence has been provided to support these claims, leading to suspicions that the Revolutionary Guards are targeting wildlife conservation groups because their members are Western-educated and in contact with international wildlife organizations. The report continues: "One of the individuals arrested in recent weeks is Niloufar Bayani, an international wildlife conservation researcher and collaborator on UN environmental projects in Afghanistan, the Republic of Congo, and Haiti, who returned to Iran this summer to join the Persian Wildlife Foundation. Another detainee is Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-American businessman and CEO of this organization." The report adds: "One of the main activities of this organization is the protection of Asiatic cheetahs, which are among the most endangered animal species in the world, with only 50 individuals remaining. These efforts are a major priority for wildlife conservation worldwide, but from the perspective of hardliners in Iran, the activities of this group are suspicious." Meanwhile, Hassan Firouzabadi, a senior military advisor to the Iranian leader, stated that Western intelligence agencies have a long history of using environmental protection and tourism as a cover for espionage activities. He claimed that in a previous case, a lizard "that can absorb atomic waves" was used to identify Iran's nuclear activities. However, others are skeptical of such claims. Gary Lewis, former head of the UN representation in Iran, tweeted: "Kavous Seyed Emami was a good man who had a great love for nature and Iran. He was my friend, and he is missed." Those who previously collaborated with Mr. Seyed Emami say that as environmental issues became more significant in Iran's political landscape and turned into a power struggle between rival factions, the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation became a victim of political turmoil in the country. On Sunday, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the Iranian parliament, announced on Twitter that Kaveh Madani, deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, was also among the recent detainees. According to The Guardian's analysis, the detention of Kaveh Madani, which lasted three days, dealt a heavy blow to Hassan Rouhani's government, which had invited Iranians living abroad last year to leave their jobs at Imperial College London and accept a government position as deputy head of the Department of Environment to demonstrate a more open environment. However, security agencies and the Iranian judiciary, which operate independently of Hassan Rouhani's government, are highly suspicious of such individuals and are attempting to neutralize the President's actions in this regard. In this context, Canada has called for an explanation from Iran regarding Seyed Emami's death. Kavous Seyed Emami's son stated that they were not allowed to hold a funeral for his father. Rouhani has tasked a four-member committee with addressing "unfortunate incidents" in detention centers. Ramin Seyed Emami reported that his mother was threatened not to speak to the media about his father's death.