Six men and two women were sentenced to prison in Iran, and each was given jail sentences of between four and ten years according to a televised press conference on Tuesday. The individuals were environmentalists, and most of them were arrested for allegedly colluding with the US. The arrests, which occurred in 2018, are part of Iran’s crackdown of activists and dual nationals amid heightened tensions between the West and Iran.
One of the environmentalists was an American citizen named Morad Tahbaz, according to the press conference. The sentences are final according to Iran. The individuals were arrested on charges of spying, which has drawn controversy and criticism from international rights organizations. In a separate occurrence, Iran released a German citizen as part of a prisoner swap for Iranian Ahmad Khalili, who was arrested in Germany for violating US sanctions.
Read More: Iran Sentences a U.S. Citizen and Seven Other Environmentalists to Prison
