conservethescholars

[conservethescholars]

Eight Iranian conservationists are in prison for their work with endangered wildlife. Please share this plea for mercy from Jane Goodall. We ask the leaders of Iran, to have compassion as they decide their fate. Without the efforts of passionate conservationists, Iran’s most unique natural symbol, the Asiatic cheetah, may face extinction. Please help spread word about this tragic injustice. Follow @FransLanting and @ChristineEckstrom for more posts about this issue.

For our friends in Iran, here is Jane’s plea translated into Farsi. این پیام حاوی تقاضایی‌ست برای رافت و دلسوزی دولتمردان ایران.

هشت تن از حافظان محیط زیست که عمرشان را وقف حفاظت از میراث طبیعی ایران کرده‌اند نزدیک به دو سال است که در بازداشت‌اند. اتهام آنها جاسوسی است.

هم‌اکنون آنها در انتظار دریافت احکامشان هستند.

این پیشامد ناگواریست، این زنان و مردان برای حفاظت از آینده گونه‌های در خطر انقراض مانند یوز آسیایی - که تنها در ایران باقی مانده است - تلاش کرده‌اند. آنها کوشیده‌اند که ایران به عنوان کشوری پایبند به حفاظت از میراث ارزشمند طبیعی‌اش سربلند باشد.

به قول مولانا جلال‌الدین رومی، شاعر مشهور ایرانی، «در این خاک در این مزرعه پاک، به جز مهر به جز عشق دگر تخم نکاریم».

من از شما تقاضای شفقت دارم، درخواست مهربانی دارم، وقتی که برای سرنوشتشان تصمیم می‌گیرید.

.

@JaneGoodallInst @official_leonardodicapriofdn @hope4nature @hrouhani @jzarif_ir @hediyehtehrany @mitra.hajjar @raisi_org #NiloufarBayani #SamRadjabi #MoradTahbaz #HoumanJowkar #SepidehKashani #AmirHosseinKhaleghi #AbdolrezaKouhpayeh #TaherGhadirian #anyhopefornature #FreeIranianConservationists

#نیلوفر_بیانی #سام_رجبی #مراد_طاهباز #هومن_جوکار #سپیده_کاشانی #امیرحسین_خالقی #عبدالرضا_کوهپایه #طاهر_قدیریان https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Aaii7h0c0/?igshid=11zbvv2ke3rm4

[conservethescholars]

Source: @persianswithpurpose

Please listen to this and share. This is with respect to fires that took place at Evin Prison 2 weeks ago. Evin Prison is colloquially referred to as “Evin University” because thousands of university students, professors, journalists, lawyers, artists and political activists are unjustly held in the prison. The Islamic Republic set fire to Evin Prison and opened fire on these brave souls. 

[conservethescholars]

The Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation scholars where arrested on espionage charges for using camera traps. To record the movements of endangered cheetahs. They were studying the Asiatic Cheetah, one of the most endangered big cats left in the world, to be able to conserve and protect this beautiful species and they were arrested for espionage on behalf of enemy powers.

The cheetah is used to market tourism to Iran, yet the scholars working to protect the species have been imprisoned for over 5 years.

Niloufar is also an outspoken climate advocate, and has been opposing fossil fuels and educating on the climate crisis even behind bars. She and other female political prisoners have issued an open letter to the Iranian government regarding their approach to the climate crisis and Niloufar has published a manuscript outlining her interviews with other prisoners regarding the climate crisis.

There is no place for political imprisonment in a functioning, democratic society.

Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran is no ordinary prison. Since 1972 (for 50 years! Half a century!!) it has been the primary site for the housing of Iran's political prisoners. Due to the number of intellectuals, students and other elite members of the intelligentsia housed there, Evin Prison is commonly referred to as “Evin University”. Many (my own mother included) used to say “Evin prison could declare independence” (because they have everyone. From diplomats to doctors. From journalists to students.). Many of the prisoners there are more fit to run the country than the current leaders.

Evin‬⁩ is no ordinary prison. Many of Iran’s best & brightest have spent long stretches confined there, where brave women & men are denied their basic rights for speaking truth to power. The regime is responsible for what happens to those inside right now.

Political prisoners aren’t the only innocent people there. There are innocent journalists, poets, filmmakers, artists, activists and LGBTQ+ people unjustly held in that prison. All because they want basic rights. All because they want to be treated with basic human decency.

As of 3:00 pm (EST) October 15, the Evin Prison has been on fire. Many who live nearby say they heard gunshots days prior to the fire. At least 4 explosions have happened so far and there will be more.

Two days ago Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the former president and an Iranian elite “businessman” Aghazadeh, was released from the prison on a break and was to go back after two days. He was told not to. After two days of him not being there, the prison burns down with explosions and gunshots that can be heard from streets away. Coincidence? I think not. Even though they “arrested” one of their people, he wasn’t there when Evin caught fire. The elite will never get hurt because they ARE the regime.

Tehran is taken over by the scent of blood and smoke.

The Islamic Republic is responsible for all those lives unjustly behind bars. Tonight they commit arson in the name of arson. They will attempt to say it didn’t happen or that it was an accident. A gas leak or some other lie. They did this just like they did everything else. Here’s just to name a few:

Cinema Rex Fire (1978), Sanchi Ship (2018), Metropol Building Collapse (2022), Flight 752 (2020), Massacre of 1988, Plasco Building fire (2017), Violent raids on the dormitory of Tehran University (1999), the continues hate crimes (rapes, conversion and killings) or non-muslims, not to mention the amount of people who’ve died due to poverty and/or in protests.

Just days ago, government forces attacked an intermediate school in Ardabil, Iran. A pre-school aged girl was beaten to death (at her school, in front of her peers) for engaging in protests.

For the Islamic Republic Regime of Iran, it has always been geniuses vs. guns.

There is nothing we can do but to spread the word. To spread awareness. To make Iran-related hashtags trending again.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would use my Tumblr account, which is meant to be for me to interact with people in different fandoms all in good fun, to talk about something like this. I feel so terrified and helpless. Pease repost!

@khaleesiofalicante @carelessflower @magnus-the-maqnificent @dustandducks @nancylou444 @machiavelien @paranoidbean @anyushk4 @heavenhatesme @pineapplecrispy

[conservethescholars]

Many scholars including Niloufar Bayani and the conservationists of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation continue to be held at Evin Prison. It has now been 2105 days since their arrest! They are just one groups of brave, talented, intelligent people are unjustly imprisoned at Evin.

Though it has been a year since the fire at Evin, prisoners still continue to be tortured, mistreated and subjected to extended isolation (8 months in Niloufar's case, before she was even charged.)

Please spread awareness of the immorality of Evin and the regime behind it, and consider signing the petition to call for Niloufar and her colleagues' release.

There is no place for political imprisonment in a functioning, democratic society.

Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran is no ordinary prison. Since 1972 (for 50 years! Half a century!!) it has been the primary site for the housing of Iran's political prisoners. Due to the number of intellectuals, students and other elite members of the intelligentsia housed there, Evin Prison is commonly referred to as “Evin University”. Many (my own mother included) used to say “Evin prison could declare independence” (because they have everyone. From diplomats to doctors. From journalists to students.). Many of the prisoners there are more fit to run the country than the current leaders.

Evin‬⁩ is no ordinary prison. Many of Iran’s best & brightest have spent long stretches confined there, where brave women & men are denied their basic rights for speaking truth to power. The regime is responsible for what happens to those inside right now.

Political prisoners aren’t the only innocent people there. There are innocent journalists, poets, filmmakers, artists, activists and LGBTQ+ people unjustly held in that prison. All because they want basic rights. All because they want to be treated with basic human decency.

As of 3:00 pm (EST) October 15, the Evin Prison has been on fire. Many who live nearby say they heard gunshots days prior to the fire. At least 4 explosions have happened so far and there will be more.

Two days ago Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the former president and an Iranian elite “businessman” Aghazadeh, was released from the prison on a break and was to go back after two days. He was told not to. After two days of him not being there, the prison burns down with explosions and gunshots that can be heard from streets away. Coincidence? I think not. Even though they “arrested” one of their people, he wasn’t there when Evin caught fire. The elite will never get hurt because they ARE the regime.

Tehran is taken over by the scent of blood and smoke.

The Islamic Republic is responsible for all those lives unjustly behind bars. Tonight they commit arson in the name of arson. They will attempt to say it didn’t happen or that it was an accident. A gas leak or some other lie. They did this just like they did everything else. Here’s just to name a few:

Cinema Rex Fire (1978), Sanchi Ship (2018), Metropol Building Collapse (2022), Flight 752 (2020), Massacre of 1988, Plasco Building fire (2017), Violent raids on the dormitory of Tehran University (1999), the continues hate crimes (rapes, conversion and killings) or non-muslims, not to mention the amount of people who’ve died due to poverty and/or in protests.

Just days ago, government forces attacked an intermediate school in Ardabil, Iran. A pre-school aged girl was beaten to death (at her school, in front of her peers) for engaging in protests.

For the Islamic Republic Regime of Iran, it has always been geniuses vs. guns.

There is nothing we can do but to spread the word. To spread awareness. To make Iran-related hashtags trending again.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would use my Tumblr account, which is meant to be for me to interact with people in different fandoms all in good fun, to talk about something like this. I feel so terrified and helpless. Pease repost!

@khaleesiofalicante @carelessflower @magnus-the-maqnificent @dustandducks @nancylou444 @machiavelien @paranoidbean @anyushk4 @heavenhatesme @pineapplecrispy

[conservethescholars]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ANTI THREE (@antithree.respectanimalrights)

As plee from @janegoodallinst Via @donnamaria19612 #Repost @franslanting ・・・ This is a plea for mercy from Jane Goodall. Eight Iranian conservationists are in prison for their work with endangered wildlife. We share Jane’s appeal to the leaders of Iran, to have compassion as they decide their fate. Without the efforts of passionate conservationists, Iran’s most unique natural symbol, the Asiatic cheetah, may face extinction. Please help spread word about this tragic injustice. Follow @FransLanting and @ChristineEckstrom for more posts about this issue. For our friends in Iran, here is Jane’s plea translated into Farsi. این پیام حاوی تقاضایی‌ست برای رافت و دلسوزی دولتمردان ایران.

هشت تن از حافظان محیط زیست که عمرشان را وقف حفاظت از میراث طبیعی ایران کرده‌اند نزدیک به دو سال است که در بازداشت‌اند. اتهام آنها جاسوسی است. هم‌اکنون آنها در انتظار دریافت احکامشان هستند. این پیشامد ناگواریست، این زنان و مردان برای حفاظت از آینده گونه‌های در خطر انقراض مانند یوز آسیایی - که تنها در ایران باقی مانده است - تلاش کرده‌اند. آنها کوشیده‌اند که ایران به عنوان کشوری پایبند به حفاظت از میراث ارزشمند طبیعی‌اش سربلند باشد. به قول مولانا جلال‌الدین رومی، شاعر مشهور ایرانی، «در این خاک در این مزرعه پاک، به جز مهر به جز عشق دگر تخم نکاریم». من از شما تقاضای شفقت دارم، درخواست مهربانی دارم، وقتی که برای سرنوشتشان تصمیم می‌گیرید.

@JaneGoodallInst @official_leonardodicapriofdn @hope4nature @hrouhani @jzarif_ir @hediyehtehrany @mitra.hajjar @raisi_org #NiloufarBayani #SamRadjabi #MoradTahbaz #HoumanJowkar #SepidehKashani #AmirHosseinKhaleghi #AbdolrezaKouhpayeh #TaherGhadirian #iran #FreeIranianConservationists

#نیلوفر_بیانی #سام_رجبی #مراد_طاهباز #هومن_جوکار #سپیده_کاشانی #امیرحسین_خالقی #عبدالرضا_کوهپایه #طاهر_قدیریان #امید_برای_طبیعت https://www.instagram.com/p/B4CJSX6D1tL/?igshid=1hyy3nybk63e7

[conservethescholars]

Eight Iranian conservationists are in prison for their work with endangered wildlife. Please share this plea for mercy from Jane Goodall. We ask the leaders of Iran, to have compassion as they decide their fate. Without the efforts of passionate conservationists, Iran’s most unique natural symbol, the Asiatic cheetah, may face extinction. Please help spread word about this tragic injustice. Follow @FransLanting and @ChristineEckstrom for more posts about this issue.

For our friends in Iran, here is Jane’s plea translated into Farsi. این پیام حاوی تقاضایی‌ست برای رافت و دلسوزی دولتمردان ایران.

هشت تن از حافظان محیط زیست که عمرشان را وقف حفاظت از میراث طبیعی ایران کرده‌اند نزدیک به دو سال است که در بازداشت‌اند. اتهام آنها جاسوسی است.

هم‌اکنون آنها در انتظار دریافت احکامشان هستند.

این پیشامد ناگواریست، این زنان و مردان برای حفاظت از آینده گونه‌های در خطر انقراض مانند یوز آسیایی - که تنها در ایران باقی مانده است - تلاش کرده‌اند. آنها کوشیده‌اند که ایران به عنوان کشوری پایبند به حفاظت از میراث ارزشمند طبیعی‌اش سربلند باشد.

به قول مولانا جلال‌الدین رومی، شاعر مشهور ایرانی، «در این خاک در این مزرعه پاک، به جز مهر به جز عشق دگر تخم نکاریم».

من از شما تقاضای شفقت دارم، درخواست مهربانی دارم، وقتی که برای سرنوشتشان تصمیم می‌گیرید.

.

@JaneGoodallInst @official_leonardodicapriofdn @hope4nature @hrouhani @jzarif_ir @hediyehtehrany @mitra.hajjar @raisi_org #NiloufarBayani #SamRadjabi #MoradTahbaz #HoumanJowkar #SepidehKashani #AmirHosseinKhaleghi #AbdolrezaKouhpayeh #TaherGhadirian #anyhopefornature #FreeIranianConservationists

#نیلوفر_بیانی #سام_رجبی #مراد_طاهباز #هومن_جوکار #سپیده_کاشانی #امیرحسین_خالقی #عبدالرضا_کوهپایه #طاهر_قدیریان https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Aaii7h0c0/?igshid=11zbvv2ke3rm4

[conservethescholars]

Dame Jane Goodall, the world’s leading anthropologist and primatologist makes an urgent plea to the government of Iran 🇮🇷 to spare the lives and release the eight conservationists imprisoned for protecting the environment. The oppressive authoritarian fascist regime of pseudo “cleric” @khamenei_ir and tinpot despot @hrouhani are sentencing these environmentalists to severe punishment including death for trying to save endangered animals and the environment. Reprehensible. Despicable. The environmentalists must be freed immediately.

#Repost from @geosteinmetz (@regrid_) This is a plea for mercy from Jane Goodall. Eight Iranian conservationists are in prison for their work with endangered wildlife. I share Jane’s appeal to the leaders of Iran, to have compassion as they decide their fate. Without the efforts of passionate conservationists, Iran’s most unique natural symbol, the Asiatic cheetah, may face extinction. Please help spread word about this tragic injustice. For my friends in Iran, here is Jane’s plea translated into Farsi. این پیام حاوی تقاضایی‌ست برای رافت و دلسوزی دولتمردان ایران.

هشت تن از حافظان محیط زیست که عمرشان را وقف حفاظت از میراث طبیعی ایران کرده‌اند نزدیک به دو سال است که در بازداشت‌اند. اتهام آنها جاسوسی است. هم‌اکنون آنها در انتظار دریافت احکامشان هستند. این پیشامد ناگواریست، این زنان و مردان برای حفاظت از آینده گونه‌های در خطر انقراض مانند یوز آسیایی - که تنها در ایران باقی مانده است - تلاش کرده‌اند. آنها کوشیده‌اند که ایران به عنوان کشوری پایبند به حفاظت از میراث ارزشمند طبیعی‌اش سربلند باشد. به قول مولانا جلال‌الدین رومی، شاعر مشهور ایرانی، «در این خاک در این مزرعه پاک، به جز مهر به جز عشق دگر تخم نکاریم». من از شما تقاضای شفقت دارم، درخواست مهربانی دارم، وقتی که برای سرنوشتشان تصمیم می‌گیرید.

@JaneGoodallInst @official_leonardodicapriofdn @hope4nature @hrouhani @jzarif_ir @hediyehtehrany @mitra.hajjar @raisi_org #NiloufarBayani #SamRadjabi #MoradTahbaz #HoumanJowkar #SepidehKashani #AmirHosseinKhaleghi #AbdolrezaKouhpayeh #TaherGhadirian #anyhopefornature #FreeIranianConservationists

#نیلوفر_بیانی #سام_رجبی #مراد_طاهباز #هومن_جوکار #سپیده_کاشانی #امیرحسین_خالقی #عبدالرضا_کوهپایه #طاهر_قدیریان #امید_برای_طبیعت_طبیعت (at Tehran, Iran) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ENfG2gHq-/?igshid=1ecle3mrvlxkk

[conservethescholars]

Ex-Iranian Official Blasts World’s Silence as Conservationists Go on Trial

A former Iranian deputy environment chief is criticizing the global environmental community’s lack of public advocacy on behalf of eight jailed Iranian conservationists whose trial began in Tehran this week. Kaveh Madani, an American-educated water management expert, served as deputy head of Iran’s Department of Environment from September 2017 until April 2018, when he fled the country under verbal attack from conservatives who accused him of spying under cover of environmental activism. In an interview with VOA Persian on Thursday, Madani, now a senior fellow at Yale University in the U.S. state of Connecticut, said he was “very disappointed” with international reaction to the treatment of the Iranian conservationists, who also faced accusations of spying when Tehran detained them in January 2018. Madani has praised the six men and two women of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation as experts in their field with good reputations nationally and internationally. ​Little international attention “Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any attention (to this case) by the international media or even by the environmentalists and conservationists of the world, whom I was expecting to be more active and to question what is happening and ask for justice,” Madani said. A VOA Persian review of seven major international conservation organizations found that only one of them of has posted a comment on their website about the plight of the Iranian conservationists: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In an Oct. 26, 2018 online statement, the Switzerland-based organization declared its “solidarity” with the eight detainees and said it was “deeply alarmed by the charges against these dedicated women and men committed to protecting Iran’s rich natural environment and unique species.” The six organizations whose websites did not contain statements about the Iranian conservationists include Conservation International, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth International, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Contacted by VOA Persian on Friday, Conservation International, Greenpeace and The Nature Conservancy declined to comment on the situation of the Iranian conservationists. Friends of the Earth International, WCS and WWF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A VOA Persian analysis of the social media channels of the seven groups and those of 19 other international conservation organizations also found that none of them have commented on the issue since the start of this year. “We should care about those people whose hearts are beating for the environment no matter where they are from,” Madani said. “What is happening in Tehran can happen in other parts of the world and it is our responsibility to protect each other and back up one another.” Closed-door trial Iranian state media reported that the eight conservationists, Niloufar Bayani, Taher Ghadirian, Houman Jowkar, Sepideh Kashani, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, Sam Rajabi and Morad Tahbaz, appeared in a Tehran court Wednesday for a first closed-door session of their trial. The state-controlled Fars News Agency referred to the defendants as “individuals accused of spying on the country’s military installations.” State news agency IRNA said four of the conservationists have been charged with “sowing corruption on Earth,” a crime punishable by death. It said three other activists were charged with “espionage” and the last one with “conspiracy against national security.” A report published Wednesday by the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) quoted a source “with knowledge of the court session” as saying prosecutors read half of a more than 300-page indictment to the defendants. The CHRI source said most of the unveiled material was based on forced confessions of a female defendant whom the source said interrupted the proceedings several times to assert that investigators extracted her statements under mental and physical duress and she had since retracted them. Speaking to VOA Persian via Skype on Wednesday, Iranian lawyer Mohamad Hossein Aghasi said judicial authorities had not permitted him to be present in the courtroom to represent defendant Sam Rajabi, his client. Aghasi said he received no word from the judiciary barring him from representing Rajabi or informing him that Rajabi had chosen another lawyer. Iranian state media said several court-approved lawyers represented the defendants in the trial instead. Madani, the former deputy Iranian environment chief, told VOA Persian he was not surprised to hear the reports about one defendant’s purported forced confessions and another defendant’s lawyer not being allowed to participate in the trial.  “As in many national security cases in Iran, I assume this one would not necessarily involve a due process,” he said. “I don’t know how real justice would be applied in their case, that is what I’m worried about.” This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. Payam Yazdian contributed from Washington. from Blogger http://bit.ly/2t1gFIs via IFTTT

[conservethescholars]

#IranCivilRights #IranHumanRights On February 12, eight environmental conversationalists including Niloufar Bayani (pictured) will be unjustly put on trial by the oppressive authoritarian fascist regime of Iran 🇮🇷 for the “crime” of espionage. Why would people who are trying to protect wildlife and the environment in Iran 🇮🇷 be attacked with these bogus charges? Speculation: Iran’s oil reserves and the pollution associated with the processing of oil. This is reprehensible and must not stand. The #Conservation8 must be released immediately. Democracy is fragile and must be fought for and protected. #Repost @centerforhumanrights ・・・ In light of the upcoming court session on February 12 in which eight conservationists who have been detained for over a year will have to defend themselves against grave national security charges, the Center for Human Rights in Iran calls upon the Iranian Judiciary to ensure all safeguards necessary for a free trial will be provided. With three major state organizations in Iran calling into question the charges of espionage against the eight conservationists, as well as credible evidence of forced confessions, CHRI also calls upon the authorities to adhere to international standards of evidence and a fair trial, in which forced confessions are inadmissible. “This case typifies the fact that hundreds of citizens in Iran are trapped in a judicial system in which there is no requirement of evidence and forced false ‘confessions’ are used to compensate for this lack of evidence,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI’s executive director. “The Judiciary is disregarding conclusions of the state’s own agencies and instead bowing toIran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who concocted this case, giving lie to their long-stated claim of judicial independence and the rule of law in Iran.“⠀ ⠀ Read our full update on this case on our website, buff.ly/2u2NLLf. ⠀ ⠀ #Iran #Conservationist #Tehran #EvinPrison #KavousSeyedEmami #Rouhani #CivilRights #Environmentalist #FreeSpeech #HumanRights #UN #UnitedNations #Amnesty #DeathPenalty #ForcedConfessions https://www.instagram.com/p/Btn-G6mFk2j/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v65lsg160fm2

[conservethescholars]

Iran: Environmentalists Face Capital Charges

Expand A campaign poster showing environmental activists, Taher Ghadirian, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Houman Jokar, Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, who have been in detention for six months.  © 2018 #any https://www.environmentguru.com/pages/elements/element.aspx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr&id=8401108

[conservethescholars]

Iran Detains Conservationist as 8 Others Tried in Court

Iran has detained another environmentalist who worked for the same Iranian conservation organization as eight activists who went on trial in Tehran last week after spending a year in detention.  A reliable source in Iran told VOA Persian that Iranian authorities detained Pouria Sepahvand of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation on Saturday. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) confirmed Sepahvand’s arrest in a Monday tweet  and said he had been taken to an unknown location. Sepahvand’s arrest came on the same day that eight of his colleagues appeared in a Tehran court for a second closed-door session of their trial, whose first session was held on January 30. Iran’s state-controlled Fars News Agency has referred to the defendants, who include six men and two women, as “individuals accused of spying on the country’s military installations."  Tara Sepehri Far, an Iran researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, told VOA Persian that prosecutors in Saturday’s court session continued with a lengthy indictment reading they had begun last Wednesday.  Sepehri Far also cited a CHRI source as saying the charges read out in court so far have been based solely on forced confessions of one of the female defendants, Niloufar Bayani. CHRI previously had quoted a source as saying the female defendant, now identified as Bayani, interrupted Wednesday’s proceedings several times to assert that investigators extracted her confessions under mental and physical duress and she had since retracted them.  The other conservationists on trial include Taher Ghadirian, Houman Jowkar, Sepideh Kashani, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, Sam Rajabi and Morad Tahbaz. State news agency IRNA has said four of the conservationists have been charged with "sowing corruption on Earth,” a crime punishable by death, while three other activists are charged with “espionage,” and the last one with “conspiracy against national security."  The eight defendants were detained in January 2018 along with a ninth member of the conservation group, Iranian-Canadian dual national Kavous Seyed Emami, who died in custody the following month in what authorities termed a suicide. Family members disputed that assertion and called for further investigation.  Iranian state media said several lawmakers met with President Hassan Rouhani as he visited parliament on Monday and urged him to ensure the eight conservationists on trial are granted legal protections, including a right to choose their own lawyers.  State news agency IRNA previously had reported that the defense lawyers present in court include several approved by the judiciary to handle national security cases. Mohamad Hossein Aghasi, a human rights lawyer representing defendant Rajabi, has said authorities have barred him from participating in the trial without explanation.  One of the lawmakers who met with Rouhani on Monday, Mohammad Reza Tabish, told state-controlled news agency ISNA that they asked the president to be mindful of the concerns of human rights activists and other Iranians about the case against the conservationists. Tabish said Rouhani responded by expressing hope that the defendants would get a fair trial. The lawmaker also said parliamentary speaker Ali Lairjani agreed to meet the families of the defendants a future date.  In an interview with VOA Persian last week, former Iranian deputy Iranian environment chief Kaveh Madani said he was not surprised to hear reports about one defendant’s purported forced confessions and another defendant’s lawyer not being allowed to participate in the trial. "As in many national security cases in Iran, I assume this one would not necessarily involve a due process,” said Madani, an environmental scientists now based at Yale University in the United States. “I don’t know how real justice would be applied in their case, that is what I’m worried about.” This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. from Blogger http://bit.ly/2GqIotZ via IFTTT

[conservethescholars]

ead text in Farsi below English:

@AminHayatiOrg : Mr dear @leonardodicaprio , Thank you for support, but is this real news? And are they really innocent?

Voice your deep concern about the capital offence charge against renowned Iranian nature conservationists. Urge the Iranian government to provide the detainees with the opportunity of a fair trial by adding your name to this Care2 petition!

On January 24 and 25, 2018, Iran security forces arrested eight nature conservationists: Houman Jowkar, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi, Sam Radjabi, Taher Ghadirian, Kavous Seyed Emami and Morad Tahbaz. All members of a local, but internationally known environmental group, the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. The group has been accused of using camera traps—intended for monitoring rare Asiatic cheetahs and other endangered wildlife—to spy on the nation’s ballistic missile program.

On February 10, 2018, the family of Kavous Seyed Emami, an Iranian-Canadian university professor who was arrested with the other activists, reported that he had died in detention under unknown circumstances. Iranian authorities claimed that he committed suicide, but they have not conducted an impartial investigation into his death. On February 25, authorities arrested yet another environmentalist, Abdoreza Kouhpayeh, who remains in detention with the seven other activists.

On October 24, 2018, the Tehran prosecutor said at a news conference that the authorities had finalized indictments for the conservationists, who have been held since January and February. He said that four (Taher Ghadirian, Houman Jowkar, Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani) face the charge of “sowing corruption on Earth”, which includes the risk of the death penalty. He justified the charge based on a claim that they were “seeking proximity to military sites with the cover of the environmental projects and obtaining military information from them”.

Three of the accused serve on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) panels that weigh evidence of the status of wildlife populations and recommend whether to add or remove species from IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. ⤵️ (at Iran) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwGoHjFAFub/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1olynnwo9orvw

[conservethescholars]

2081 Days

It has been 2081 days since the arrest of Nilofaur Bayani and the Persian Wildlife Heritage Fund.

† Kavous Seyed-Emami | Died in detention on 8 February 2018

Taher Ghadirian

Sam Rajabi

Houman Jowkar

Niloufar Bayani

Sepideh Kashani

Amirhossein Khaleghi

Morad Tahbaz (released in September 2023)

Abdolreza Kouhpayeh

7 of the PWHF conservationists remain in prison today: Taher Ghadirian, Sam Rajabi, Houman Jowkar, Sepideh Kashani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh and Nilofaur Bayani.

Morad Tahbaz was released recently on the 18th of September 2023, and Kavous Seyed-Emami, co founder of the PWHF died in custody on the 8th of February 2018.

Amnesty International cites evidence that the conservationists' trial was unfair, due to the use of torture to extract false confessions. Nilofaur was sentenced to 10 years and 4 months in prison, and she attests that her confession was extracted with torture, and she later retracted her confession.

[conservethescholars]

The conservationists who were monitoring the Asiatic Cheetah population were imprisoned by the Iranian Government in January 2018. They were charged with espionage for using camera traps to track the cheetah population. 9 conservationists remain imprisoned, while the co founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Kavous Seyed-Emami, died shortly after in prison.

It is absolutely tragic that Pirouz has passed, and that the people who were fighting to protect his species and could have helped, remain imprisoned.

Death of Pirouz

Not-So-Fun Fact, given the context of this story: Pirouz (پیروز) is Persian for "victor" (or "victorious," depending on how it's used in a sentence).

Pirouz (the sweet little baby pictured above) was the last surviving Asiatic cheetah cub born in captivity in Iran, and he passed away on Tuesday due to kidney failure. Besides the fact that he [obviously] was a precious baby, everyone is angry and heartbroken by his passing, because he had become a symbol for the revolution. Shervin Hajipour had even alluded to him and the delicate nature of his existence in his GRAMMY-winning song "Baraye."

This reflects another dimension of the pain and suffering caused by the regime. With their blatant disregard for environmental issues and tendency to suppress environmental activists, it is not much of a surprise that this tragedy also took place. (And this isn't even taking into account the suspicions that they had a hand in his death.) While there is still a great deal that remains unknown, considering that one of his siblings also had died due to health complications, it's probable that he and his siblings were not bred in the best conditions. Furthermore, it's highly likely that limitations in resources prevented them from receiving the care that they needed, despite their caretakers' best efforts.

As for Pirouz himself, I'm absolutely heartbroken, and I cannot stop crying right now. Sadly, he is another victim of the regime. I just hope that his last moments weren't painful. From the perspective of the revolution, I hope that his death does not signify the death of potential victory for the revolution, considering the meaning of his name and his status as a symbol.

Now, let's fight for Pirouz in both senses of the word as used in this post: The poor baby himself and the pirouzi (پیروزی) (i.e., 'victory') of the revolution.

SOURCE:

[conservethescholars]

Niloufar Bayani

We are a group of university students who are working with Scholars at Risk to raise awareness about imprisoned scholars across the world. We are currently focusing on the case of imprisoned Iranian environmental activist and conservationist Niloufar Bayani, who has been detained since 2018 on charges of espionage. She is being held in a women’s prison in Iran, and has continued her environmental advocacy while imprisoned, surveying other political prisoners on the climate disaster, holding climate seminars and publishing a manuscript on climate literacy amongst her fellow inmates and at large. She and her fellow prisoners also released an open letter to the Iranian government, calling for climate action. Despite her circumstances, she has continued to advocate for climate action by the Iranian government, and the safeguarding of Iran’s environment. 

If you are interested in the perspective on the climate disaster of a highly knowledgeable conservationist, Iranian woman and imprisoned scholar, consider reading her manuscript.  

More information on the her scholarly work, the circumstances of her imprisonment and how to support SARs efforts to free her can be found here: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/actions/niloufar-bayani-iran/#Niloufar%20Bayani 

Information on her detained colleagues and updates on her case can be found here:

The imprisoned women’s open letter and demands for change can be found here: 

Those already involved in climate advocacy, please continue to do so. Even if Niloufar is not freed, by continuing to push for environmental safeguards and climate action, we are supporting the cause she has dedicated her life to. 

If you are not currently involved in climate advocacy, Niloufar’s work is a great place to start to educate yourself on the climate crisis and what we should be moving towards. It is here for you if you are interested. 

To support the fight for Niloufar’s freedom, visit the SAR page linked above and select “Take Action” or sign the ongoing petition, available here: https://www.change.org/p/call-for-release-of-niloufar-bayani-and-environmental-conservationists-detained-in-iran?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_35524276_fr-FR%3A7&recruiter=43431080&recruited_by_id=e7b37430-6a01-0130-6579-3c764e049b10&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=07acd98e58714c3391e14c301b09027b&share_bandit_exp=initial-35524276-en-US