Morad Tahbaz
Morad Tahbaz is an Iranian-American businessman and conservationist.[1][2] He was born in London and holds British citizenship.[3] Tahbaz is a co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF).[4] In January 2018, Iranian authorities arrested Tahbaz along with eight other PWHF-affiliated individuals.[5][6]
In 2018, an Iranian Presidential Commission composed of Cabinet Ministers appointed by Iranian President Rouhani investigated the allegations and concluded that the facts do not support the claims against Tahbaz or his colleagues. The Commission declared publicly that Tabhaz and his colleagues did nothing wrong and “must be freed soon.”
In November 2019, the Iranian judiciary sentenced Tahbaz to 10 years in prison for "contacts with the US enemy government."[7]
In June 2020 and on the occasion of World Environment Day, US Department of State called for the release of Morad Tahbaz. In a video message, Brian Hook encouraged governments to join this call to end the detention of Tahbaz and his colleagues.[8] Tahbaz's family is a part of the Bring Our Families Home campaign which works to bring home wrongful detainees and hostages.
Tahbaz was released from prison 'on furlough' on March 16th, 2022.[9] He was returned to prison two days later. [10]
Education
Tahbaz graduated from Colgate University in 1977 with a degree in liberal arts and from Columbia University in 1983 with an MBA.[2]
See also
- List of foreign nationals detained in Iran
- Niloufar Bayani, PWHF employee also being held in detention
- Hostage diplomacy
References
- ^ "He Fought for Iran's Environment and Was Arrested. Now, He's Dead". The New York Times. February 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Iran's Environment, Challenges and Opportunities". UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. March 3, 2015.
- ^ "Iran 'sentences wildlife activists' accused of spying". BBC News. November 20, 2019.
- ^ "Environmental Scientists Being Detained In Iran and Accused of Spying". Committee of Concerned Scientists. October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Environmentalists Detained in Crackdown Denied Legal Counsel Amid Claims Some Were 'Jewish Spies'". Center for Human Rights in Iran. March 5, 2018.
- ^ "Another American Confirmed Held in Iran". The Wall Street Journal. February 12, 2018.
- ^ "Six Conservationists Sentenced to Long Prison Terms in Iran After Two Years Behind Bars". Center for Human Rights in Iran. November 20, 2019.
- ^ "On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we call for the release of Morad Tahbaz, a renowned conservationist suffering in a jail cell in Iran. All who care about basic human rights, the environment, and the preservation of endangered species should join our call for Iran to #FreeMorad". June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Brit wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz released from jail after Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed". ITV News. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "British-Iranian Morad Tahbaz returned to Tehran prison". the Guardian. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
