Khalatari: The Judiciary has instructed not to pursue the case of imprisoned environmental activists

The head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization announced that the Judiciary has 'ordered' this organization not to pursue the situation of detained environmental activists. Eisa Khalatari emphasized on Tuesday, August 13, during a visit to the IRNA news agency, that the Ministry of Intelligence has stated there is no evidence regarding the espionage of these individuals. According to Khalatari, however, the Judiciary has still not clarified the status of the detainees and has informed the Environmental Protection Organization that this case 'does not concern you, and do not pursue it.' He also stated that the activities of non-governmental organizations active in the environmental field have become 'stagnant' and they are in a state of uncertainty about 'how far they can operate without being labeled as spies.' Khalatari had previously reported on June 21 that a four-member committee formed by the President to follow up on the fate of these detainees concluded that 'the detained activists should be released as there is no evidence to support the accusations made against them.' However, the Tehran prosecutor described these remarks as 'interference' in the Judiciary's work and 'contrary to regulations,' stating that such comments are 'beyond the level' of the head of the Environmental Protection Organization and other executive officials. The families of the environmental activists reiterated their children's innocence in a letter to the heads of the three branches of government on August 1 and requested that a delegation representing the government and parliament listen to the statements of the detainees. Mir Hossein Khaleghi, Hooman Jokar, Taher Ghadirian, Sam Rajabi, Niloufar Bayani, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz, and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh have been imprisoned in Ward 2-A of the Revolutionary Guards since last February. Kavous Seyed Emami, a university professor and environmental activist, was also detained with these eight individuals, and on February 10, his family was informed that he had 'committed suicide' in prison, but his family has denied this claim. Last December, when Maryam Momeni, Seyed Emami's wife, and their two sons attempted to leave Iran for Canada, she was prevented from exiting at the airport. Amnesty International described the 'prevention of independent investigations' into Seyed Emami's 'very suspicious death' as a sign of a 'deliberate and planned effort to conceal any evidence of torture and murder.'