A campaign poster showing environmental activists, Taher Ghadirian, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Houman Jokar, Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh. © 2018 #anyhopefornature Campaign

Covid-19 is an unchecked crisis in Iran, but prisoners face a particularly dangerous situation in detention facilities where social distancing and safe hygiene is nearly impossible and medical care is inadequate. Not only are people in detention at heightened risk of contracting the virus that causes Covid-19, they are unable to provide care to their families or spend time with them when they get sick. Such is the situation of several Iranian environmentalists unjustly imprisoned for over three years.

On August 1, Emtedad news outlet reported Niloufar Bayani, one of eight environmental activists affiliated with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF) whom authorities detained in January 2018, tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19.

On July 20, authorities temporarily released Sepideh Kashani, another member of the group, along with two other political prisoners who contracted Covid-19 while in detention. Parents of Sepideh’s husband, Houman Jokar, another detained member of the group, have also contracted Covid-19. Authorities took Jokar in shackles and handcuffs to see his hospitalized father for only a few hours.

On July 28, 1,400 environmental activists in Iran wrote an open letter to Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, to grant a temporary release to Jokar so he visit his parents. UN standards guarantee prisoners access to regular family visits in the event of a relative’s serious illness.

In January 2018, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) intelligence organization arrested and accused eight members of PWHF of “using environmental projects as a cover for espionage.” To date, authorities have failed to provide any evidence into such allegations, while several government officials have denied the charges. In November 2019, an Iranian court sentenced them to prison time ranging between 4 and 10 years that was upheld by the court of appeal in February 2020.

In the beginning of the pandemic, Iranian authorities released prisoners, including Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, another member of the environmental group. Dozens of those detained solely for peaceful dissent were excluded from the releases.

Iran’s prison authorities should unconditionally release all people who remain detained for peaceful dissent, and temporarily release all eligible prisoners to minimize the spread of Covid-19. For those who remain, prison authorities should ensure equitable access to masks, hygiene supplies, Covid-19 tests, treatment and vaccines, in line with World Health Organization guidance and international human rights standards.