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Iranian academics demand answers over death of jailed activist Iranian academics demand answers from president over death of jailed activist
(about 4 hours later)
President Hassan Rouhani urged to investigate alleged suicide of Kavous Seyed Emami Hassan Rouhani urged to investigate alleged suicide of Kavous Seyed Emami
Agence France-Presse in Tehran Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent
Mon 12 Feb 2018 09.49 GMTMon 12 Feb 2018 09.49 GMT
First published on Mon 12 Feb 2018 03.33 GMTFirst published on Mon 12 Feb 2018 03.33 GMT
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Leading academics in Iran have written to the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, to demand answers after a renowned environmentalist allegedly killed himself in prison. Leading academics in Iran have written to the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, to demand answers after officials said a renowned environmentalist had killed himself in prison.
The family of Kavous Seyed Emami, 63, a professor at Imam Sadegh University and founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, was told on Saturday that he had killed himself in prison two weeks after his arrest. Officials told the family of Kavous Seyed Emami, the 63-year-old founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, that he had killed himself two weeks after he was arrested – a claim that has been met with widespread scepticism.
A judiciary official said on Sunday that he had confessed to crimes related to an espionage investigation. Seven other members of his wildlife NGO are still behind bars.
“The news of the death of Dr Kavous Seyed Emami has astounded and shocked the scientific community and the environmental activists of the country,” four academic societies wrote in an open letter to Rouhani.“The news of the death of Dr Kavous Seyed Emami has astounded and shocked the scientific community and the environmental activists of the country,” four academic societies wrote in an open letter to Rouhani.
“In addition to being a well-known professor, a distinguished scientist and war veteran … he was a noble and ethical human being,” the letter said. “The news and rumours related to his arrest and death are not believable.”“In addition to being a well-known professor, a distinguished scientist and war veteran … he was a noble and ethical human being,” the letter said. “The news and rumours related to his arrest and death are not believable.”
The letter was published by four leading associations in areas of political science, sociology, peace studies and cultural studies, which include professors from Iran’s top universities. Tehran’s chief prosecutor said at the weekend that Emami was part of a group of environmental activists arrested on suspicion of espionage.
Iran has stepped up a crackdown on environmental activists after protests over economic and political grievances spread to as many as 80 cities earlier this year. Many believe that environmental issues, such as pollution, water scarcity and drying up of wetlands are an underlying factor behind the recent upwelling of public discontent.
“This person was one of the accused and given he knew there is a torrent of confessions against him and he confessed himself, unfortunately he committed suicide in prison,” the prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said on Sunday, according to Ilna news agency.
The academics’ letter was published on Sunday by four leading associations in areas of political science, sociology, peace studies and cultural studies, which include professors from Iran’s top universities.
They wrote: “Our minimum expectation is that you take immediate and effective action to seriously investigate the case … and make the institutions involved in this painful loss accountable.”They wrote: “Our minimum expectation is that you take immediate and effective action to seriously investigate the case … and make the institutions involved in this painful loss accountable.”
Asked about the case on Monday, the judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie told the reformist ILNA news agency: “I have heard he committed suicide, but I have so far no information on the details. This recent incident is under investigation.” Emami, an Iranian-Canadian dual national, was a respected activist and professor at Imam Sadegh University. He received a PhD in sociology from the University of Oregon in 1991 before returning to Iran to dedicate his life to environmental activism.
The environment department denied rumours that its deputy head, Kaveh Madani, had been arrested. The reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeghi had tweeted on Sunday that the department had told him Madani had been arrested over the weekend. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said Emami’s family were under pressure to immediately bury him and forgo an independent autopsy.
A senior official at the department, who did not wish to be named, said on Monday that this was incorrect and that Madani was at work. “Claims that Seyed Emami’s death was a suicide have no credibility whatsoever. This is a prison system out of control and a judiciary that is actively colluding in a massive cover-up,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the CHRI’s executive director.
A tweet was published on Madani’s personal Twitter account early on Monday for the first time in three days. “Hopeful for narrowmindness to get wiped out. Hopeful for peace of mind for environmental activists. Hopeful for the removal of concern of those awaiting the return of loved ones,” it read. The judiciary’s spokesman, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei’i, said on Monday that Emami’s death was under investigation. An anonymous relative was quoted by CHRI as saying: “You cannot be both the accused and the investigator and expect people to believe your conclusion.”
Seven other environmental activists and journalists – Amir-Hossein Khaleghi, Houman Jowkar, Morad Tahbaz, Niloufar Bayani, Sepideh Kashani, Taher Ghadirian and Sam Rajabi, are still believed to be under arrest.
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Hassan RouhaniHassan Rouhani
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