The following statement was released by the Wildlife Conservation Society:
“We are greatly saddened by the news this week that the sentences of the eight conservationists unjustly imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage were upheld.
“All eight of these Iranian women and men, Niloufar Bayani, Taher Ghadirian, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Houman Jowkar, Sepideh Kashani, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, Sam Rajabi, and Morad Tahbaz are respected conservation professionals who were arrested in 2018. They are innocent and worked in Iran with no malice and only with love for its wildlife. Our plea is that they be released and allowed to return to their lives, which were dedicated to respecting and protecting the natural heritage of Iran.
“We call for amnesty.”
###
WCS previous statements on the unjustly held Iranian wildlife conservationists:
Feb. 22, 2019WCS Issues Statement Supporting Imprisoned Wildlife Conservationists in Iran
Nov. 21, 2019
WCS Issues Statement on the Unjust Sentencing of Innocent Wildlife Conservationists Imprisoned in Iran
Join more than one million wildlife lovers working to save the Earth's most treasured and threatened species.
Thanks for signing up