Iran has released four conservationists who worked to save endangered Asiatic cheetahs after being convicted of espionage and jailed for five years, local media reported on Tuesday.
tehran newspapers progress Authorities on Monday night released Niloufar Bayani and Houman Jowkar, who were among five activists convicted in 2019 on espionage charges that drew international criticism.
On Tuesday, several Iranian media outlets, including semi-official news agency ILNA, said two other conservationists, Sepideh Kashani and Taher Ghadirian, had also been detained. freed.
The four were among more than 2,000 prisoners granted amnesty on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The United Nations Environment Program on Monday welcomed the release of Bayani and Chokar, who are members of the nonprofit Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Iranian authorities released another member of the group, Sam Rajabi, in 2023.
The conservationists were arrested in 2018 along with Kavous Seyed-Emami, the 64-year-old founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Iranian-Canadian dual citizen Said Emami died while awaiting trial under controversial circumstances.
Bayani was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2019, while others were sentenced to six to eight years in prison on espionage charges. The case against members of the nonprofit Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation comes as protests and riots rock parts of Iran amid government-mandated internet shutdowns.
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