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 allegations of spying[7] and concluded that the facts do not support the claims against Tahbaz or his colleagues. Iranian Lawmaker Mahmud Sadeghi said that Tabhaz and his colleagues did nothing wrong and “must be freed soon.”[8]

In November 2019, the Iranian judiciary sentenced Tahbaz to 10 years in prison for "contacts with the US enemy government."[9]

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.[10] 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 16, 2022.[11] He was returned to prison two days later. [12]

He was ultimately freed from imprisonment in Iran on September 18, 2023, as part of an Iran–United States prisoner release mediated by Qatar.[13]

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

References

  1. ^ "He Fought for Iran's Environment and Was Arrested. Now, He's Dead". The New York Times. February 10, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Iran's Environment, Challenges and Opportunities". UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. March 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "Iran 'sentences wildlife activists' accused of spying". BBC News. November 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Environmental Scientists Being Detained In Iran and Accused of Spying". Committee of Concerned Scientists. October 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "Environmentalists Detained in Crackdown Denied Legal Counsel Amid Claims Some Were 'Jewish Spies'". Center for Human Rights in Iran. March 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Another American Confirmed Held in Iran". The Wall Street Journal. February 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Iran's steely determination pays off". Mehr News Agency. 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  8. ^ Esfandiari, Golnaz. "Jailed Iranian Ecologist Says Threatened With Rape, Death, Forced To Imitate Animals". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  9. ^ "Six Conservationists Sentenced to Long Prison Terms in Iran After Two Years Behind Bars". Center for Human Rights in Iran. November 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Brit wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz released from jail after Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed". ITV News. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  12. ^ "British-Iranian Morad Tahbaz returned to Tehran prison". the Guardian. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  13. ^ "'The nightmare is over': Americans freed by Iran in prisoner swap". BBC. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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