
Invalid line of activists on reporting “Let him be human” / Witness Alavi
The story of human rights violations in Kurdistan is a tearful tale. However, this bitter narrative, this open wound, was either denied for a long time or portrayed as a great lie to victimize the oppressed, or it was told in such a vague and sometimes heroic way that it was difficult for the audience to believe. In this unfortunate land, for a thousand and one reasons, and most importantly for their seemingly unbreakable resistance, the people have been experiencing oppression, imprisonment, torture, and execution as a daily part of their lives for years. And the bitterest part is that they had gradually become accustomed to not being heard and even worse, hearing the cheers of the opposition, who themselves have been wounded by the oppressive regime.
But the issue was not just the suppression of the margins by the center and the indifference of the opposition to the center. The bigger tragedy was the silence of the supporters or the endless doubts of the movements and individuals whose title was “human rights activists” or their job was reporting human rights violations. This group, who had made their political interests the guiding light of their human rights activities, were a perfect example of human rights monitoring and reporting, where “we are the voice of humanity”.
In this way, defending the rights of a victim of human rights violations was dependent on identifying their political interests, methods of struggle, and their identity. It was clear that the reporter’s perception of the victim’s human rights violation was related to the issue of territorial integrity, and it determined whether a human right had been violated and whether it should be reported and exposed, or if it was simply a case of “armed separatism” being punished.
“این تصویر یک پرنده زیبا در حال پرواز است.”
This image shows a beautiful bird in flight.
Reporting from Kurdistan – 1378 – Photo from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.
According to this perspective, the victim of human rights violations in Iran is a political or civil activist who has peacefully opposed the entire political system or certain parts of it and could not, in principle, be Arab or Baluch, and his territorial integrity of Iran was also his red line. This political perspective on the issue of human rights, which excludes Kurds and Baluchis in particular and “other non-conformists” in general, has been the guide for many years for the human rights reporting – an important and effective part, not all – political human rights activists in Iran and, of course, a guiding light for the positions of many opposition forces and even major independent media outside of Iran.
The red lines of my writing, however, had an impact on independent media, something that is referred to as the essential necessity of “preserving national unity and avoiding catering to ethnic interests.” In this way, the belief that regular and responsible reporting of suppressions in regions like Kurdistan or Baluchistan can intensify separatist interests in these areas, pushes news of their oppression to the margins.
This non-humanitarian perspective, influenced by political interests, contributed to the violation of human rights in Iran, leading to further polarization and deepening of the gap between the center and periphery. It moved in a completely opposite direction from its intended goal and victimized Kurds, Arabs, and Balochs. Their silence and acquiescence were seen as a natural response, and they were unable to envision their political future in harmony or even tactical cooperation with the opposition. Furthermore, they could not find a place for themselves in a human rights-based society, as envisioned by the high standards of human rights reporting.
In such a discouraging atmosphere, and despite the fact that glimmers of hope are visible, the establishment of a new human rights organization ten years ago must be seen as the birth of a source of light that could be seen from the end of the tunnel. “The birth of the human rights activists in Iran” should be seen as the beginning of the end of politicized and centralized human rights reporting in Iran. The organization had two distinct characteristics from the very beginning of its activities, which indicated a serious and different approach. Firstly, the organization clearly introduced two of its main officials, and secondly, it published its news and reports with precise details and non-political and human rights literature.
“این تصویر یک پرنده در حال پرواز در آسمان است”
This image shows a bird flying in the sky.
A collection of protests in Mahabad is reported – 1378 – Photo from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.
But in addition to these two points, what distinguished the news of the activists from the paper or real organizations in those years, was the high volume of news about the violation of the rights of minorities, the same divisive ones, among the news of this group. This high volume of news about the violation of human rights in Kurdistan, specifically, created two perceptions in the audience at first glance: either the officials of the Kurdish group are responsible and have more access to news from Kurdistan and probably exaggerate in reflecting the news, or this is just a way to create marketability and attract more audience by publishing both true and false news from a source that cannot easily be verified.
However, neither the officials of that time were active in the group, nor did the group’s approach to reflecting the news change, and almost none of the group’s news was denied or its falsehoods revealed. The story was simply that the human rights activists group was truly a group of mostly experienced prisoners whose concern was not political orientation or method of struggle, but rather the victims of human rights violations, regardless of their identity, ethnicity, or religion.
Kurdistan news on the website of the collection and its periodic reports were seen more than news from other regions, as there are a high number of human rights violations in Kurdistan and the collection did not have a basis for censoring news and reports. In a short period of time, many people were attracted to the collection and the possibility of verifying the truth and ensuring the accuracy of the news, and as a result, their rapid dissemination increased even more than before. This led to an increase in the volume of news related to Kurdistan and, of course, other ethnic minorities on the website of the collection.
The commitment of the officials of the organization to human rights principles and their avoidance of political games within the organization, as well as their steadfastness in reporting human rights violations throughout Iran, greatly contributed to the promotion of the organization’s name. The organization’s commitment to explicit and accurate reporting of human rights violations in the long term has gained the trust of many audiences, including Kurds, Turks, and Balochs, who have joined the organization’s website and collaborated with the organization.
The suffocating atmosphere of censorship regarding human rights violations in Kurdistan has been shattered, and the news and reports published by the organization were republished in reputable media outlets and on other organization’s websites. Now, labeling victims of human rights violations as “separatists” or “terrorists” can no longer prevent their situation from being reported. Regardless of their political stance or type of activity, everyone has fundamental rights that must be respected and any violations must be reported.
In the past ten years, the human rights activists in Iran have not only trained themselves to have the ability and desire to hear the cries and see the wounds of minority/marginalized prisoners, but have also practically forced other individuals and organizations reporting on human rights to put their own interests aside while reporting. Now, seeing news related to Kurdistan, Baluchistan, and Khuzestan among the daily news of almost all serious human rights organizations does not immediately lead to accusations of being criminals. This is one of the most important tasks that the human rights activists in Iran have accomplished over the past ten years.
Kurdistan Shahed Alavi The human rights activists group in Iran. ماهنامه خط صلح ماهنامه خط صلح