European Parliament Representatives Express 'Deep Concern' Over Continued Detention of Environmental Activists in Iran

Twenty-six members of the European Parliament have expressed 'deep concern' in a letter addressed to Hassan Rouhani regarding the continued detention of environmental activists in Iran, urging him to take action for their release and to hold a 'fair and public trial.' The European representatives state at the beginning of their letter, 'We are deeply worried about the ongoing detention of eight environmental activists and human rights defenders in Iran and express our deep concern over the serious violation of their rights to a fair judicial process.' They subsequently called for the 'immediate and unconditional release' of the activists. This letter has been signed by several members of the European Parliament from various coalitions, including conservatives, Christian democrats, socialists, greens, and liberals. The European representatives, referring to the names of these activists—Sam Rajabi, Amir Hossein Khalighi, Hooman Jokar, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Taher Ghaderian, Morad Tahbaz, and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, members of the 'Wildlife Heritage of Parsian' campaign—state that these individuals have not had access to a lawyer of their choice. The European representatives also referenced the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami, another environmentalist, in Evin prison, stating that the Islamic Republic has not conducted any investigations into this death (which Tehran described as a suicide) and has also banned Mr. Seyed-Emami's wife from leaving the country. They criticized the judicial process and trial of the activists and urged Hassan Rouhani to use his capacities as President and head of the National Security Council to secure the release of these individuals and to hold a fair and public trial. Calls for the release of detained activists have been ongoing. Leonardo DiCaprio, the Hollywood star and environmental activist, is among those who have launched an online campaign for the release of these activists and expressed his concern over their continued detention. In mid-February, several members of parliament also asked Hassan Rouhani to address the situation of the eight detained activists. The Iranian judiciary initially announced the charges against these activists as 'espionage for foreigners,' but later, charges of 'corruption on earth' were raised against some of them, which could carry the death penalty. The Attorney General of Iran stated that the detainees were 'infiltrators of the U.S. and Israel' and intended to infiltrate 'sensitive and vital locations in the country' through their activities. However, this senior judicial official has not provided any specific evidence in this regard. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, wrote on his Twitter account on February 3 that the Supreme National Security Council 'did not consider the activities of the environmental defendants as espionage.' Previously, Eisa Kalantari, head of Iran's Environmental Organization, stated that the ministers of intelligence, interior, justice, and the legal deputy of the president concluded that there is no evidence of espionage against the detained activists. Nearly a year has passed since the detention of the activists, with their first court session held on December 30. The European Union, the website of Ana Maria Gomes, a member of the European Parliament, Radio Farda.