ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about the reported arrests of Houman Jowkar and Sepideh Kashani, environmentalists from the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, by Iranian security forces on 1 July. Their detention is part of a broader pattern of repression targeting civil society, human rights advocates, and other individuals engaged in public interest activities. We call for their immediate release and all charges to be dropped against them.
Houman Jowkar and Sepideh Kashani have played a vital role in advocating for the preservation of wildlife in Iran, including efforts to protect the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah. Their work should not be criminalised. The targeting of environmental experts through arbitrary arrest, detention, and prosecution undermines fundamental human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and participation in public affairs, while contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for civil society in Iran.
These arrests are not isolated incidents and come amid an intensified crackdown on activists, environmental defenders, and broader civil society following the nationwide protests of late 2025 and early 2026. Repeated nationwide internet shutdowns, restrictions on civic space and access to information, and prosecution of independent voices show that Iranian authorities have expanded their efforts to silence and eliminate any dissent. The targeting of environmental defenders reflects the widening scope of this repression and reinforces concerns about the shrinking space for peaceful civic engagement in the country.
We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Houman Jowkar and Sepideh Kashani. Pending their release, authorities must ensure that at minimum they have immediate access to legal counsel of their choosing, contact with their families, and any necessary medical care.
Additionally, ARTICLE 19 calls on governments and international institutions to:
- Support public calls for the immediate release of Houman Jowkar and Sepideh Kashani and the provision of access to legal counsel in the interim.
- Prioritise human rights during diplomatic and security discussions with Iran, ensuring that arbitrary detention and the targeting of civil society remain central issues in all engagements.
- Support and strengthen international accountability mechanisms, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, by providing political and financial support for their mandates.
- Strengthen protection measures for Iranian civil society and diaspora communities facing various forms of transnational repression, including intimidation and surveillance, facilitatedby cooperation between governments, law enforcement agencies, and technology companies.
The international community must make clear that the peaceful work of environmental defenders and civil society actors is not a crime. Sustainable peace, environmental protection, and the rule of law depend on the protection, not the persecution, of those who work to serve the public interest.