Iran re‑arrests wildlife activists as political prisoners face phone bans and health neglect

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence rearrested husband‑wife wildlife conservationists Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani on 1 July, taking them from their home and confiscating their devices. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Former political prisoner Nazanin Zaghari‑Ratcliffe, who served six years in Iranian custody, condemned the arrests as “unimaginably cruel”, noting the couple’s work to protect the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah.

The arrests occur amid a broader crackdown on civil society. Four female political prisoners – Shiva Esmaeili, Marzieh Farsi, Forough Taghipour and Zahra Safaei – continue to be barred from making phone calls to their families from Evin Prison. They also suffer severe health problems, with Esmaeili experiencing debilitating back pain and limited mobility, and authorities refusing to transfer her or other inmates to needed medical facilities. Human‑rights monitors report that thousands have been detained since the start of the US‑Israel conflict with Iran, highlighting the regime's intensified repression of activists and dissenters.