Iranian conservationists have been imprisoned since January 2018 for their wildlife conservation and research work, suspected of espionage and threatening National Security. In November 2019, after 22 months of legal limbo in detention and despite no apparent evidence against them, they were sentenced to up to ten years in prison alongside other punishments.
As of February 2023, after more than five years, seven conservationists still remain in Evin prison.*
Environmentalists in Iran and the whole world have lauded the work of their imprisoned colleagues, worry about their safety and stand in solidarity.
This website was created by friends of the detained conservationists to publish a letter of concern from the international conservation community, and to provide factual background information.
Please help raise awareness for our friends.
*Originally, more conservationists were detained including Kavous Seyyed-Emami who died in detention in February 2018, and Abdolreza Koupayeh who was released in March 2020.