Niloufar Bayani is an Iranian wildlife conservation biology researcher and activist.
12 Facts About Niloufar Bayani
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Niloufar Bayani was convicted in 2019 of espionage by Iranian authorities in a closed-door trial in Iran, and received a 10-year prison sentence.
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Niloufar Bayani graduated in 2009 from McGill University in Canada with a BSc degree in biology, and holds an MA degree in Conservation Biology from Columbia University.
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Niloufar Bayani was arrested in January 2018 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on charges of espionage.
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In 2019, Niloufar Bayani wrote an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, describing her harsh treatment by her interrogators.
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On February 18,2020, BBC Persia published letters that Niloufar Bayani wrote from Evin Prison, in which she detailed the tortures she has to undergo.
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Niloufar Bayani said that her interrogators showed her a photo of Seyed-Emami, whose body was found in his prison cell two days after his arrest with officials claiming he had committed suicide.
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Niloufar Bayani was sentenced in 2020 without a lawyer and despite her claims.
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Niloufar Bayani was released on Monday 8 April 2024,2266 days after she was arrested, after more than 6 years in prison, and is free with her family.
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Niloufar Bayani is accused of "collaborating with the United States enemy state" and has been condemned to refund the income received as a consultant and project adviser to United Nations Environment Programme between 2012 and 2017.
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SAR has been actively supporting Niloufar Bayani, including by sending letters to public authorities in Iran, running advocacy seminars in universities, and conducting online activities via social networks.
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The revelation of the behavior of the intelligence interrogators to Niloufar Bayani was widely reported on social media.