[108847] New wave of arrests in Iran: Environmental activists Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani arrested again
[108847] New wave of arrests in Iran: Environmental activists Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani arrested again
Iranian security forces have arrested the former pair of environmental activists along with Sepideh Kashani's sister, just months after they were released from prison.
New wave of arrests in Iran: Environmental activists Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani arrested again
According to reports by Vahid Online and DW Persian, Iranian security forces raided the home of environmental activist couple Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani on Wednesday, July 1st, and arrested them for a second time. During the raid, all of the couple's electronic devices were confiscated. Additionally, according to their lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, Sima Kashani, Sepideh's sister, was also arrested.
Houman Jokar, who previously served as the director of the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project, and Sepideh Kashani were members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. According to Vahid Online, the two were originally arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in 2017 and were accused of "espionage" and "cooperation with hostile states." The couple was released from prison in April 2024 after more than six years of incarceration, during which Kashani reported in letters about "severe mental and psychological torture" and "death threats."
Iran International, an Iranian opposition network highly critical of the practices of Iran's security apparatus, reported that the arrest has triggered a wave of concern among civil activists and former political prisoners. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a researcher and former political prisoner herself, issued a call for the immediate release of the three, noting that Sima Kashani requires urgent medical treatment due to the multiple sclerosis she suffers from.
As of now, no official information has been provided by Iranian authorities regarding the identity of the body that carried out the arrests, the whereabouts of the detainees, or the reasons for the arrest. The human rights organization Hengaw emphasized that due to the holiday period and the suspension of legal centers, the uncertainty deepens the families' concern for the fate of their loved ones.