Dr. Abdolkarim Lahiji has been involved in human rights activities for over five decades. Two years before the revolution in February 1979, he founded the Iranian Lawyers Association and the Iranian Association for Freedom and Human Rights with the goal of promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was one of the first individuals to condemn the executions and other violations of human rights by the new regime after the revolution.

In the 58th issue of the monthly magazine “Peace Line” and on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights Activists Association in Iran, we have asked Dr. Lahiji, who is currently the president of the International Federation of Human Rights Societies, about the performance of the Human Rights Activists Association in Iran and the reasons for the sustainability and continuity of this human rights organization.

Abdolkarim Lahiji, while emphasizing the difficult conditions of human rights defenders in Iran, says: “In my opinion, any group, including activists, that have remained in Iran and continued their activities, has acted independently from the government. This independence from the government has both positive and negative aspects that must be taken into consideration. The positive aspect is related to being dependent on the government and the ruling system; it is clear that human rights defenders should be independent from the government and have no political or financial ties to it. However, the negative aspect is related to enmity and political behavior in the field of human rights activities; meaning that individuals may use human rights activities to advance their own political goals.”

How would you describe the group of human rights activists in Iran after a decade of activity, and if you could highlight one positive feature of this group’s performance, what would that positive feature be in your opinion?

Unfortunately, in Iran, civil and political activities do not have a special place and in such conditions, any group that can continue its activities despite all the problems, such as imprisonment and suppression, has truly done important work. The human rights community was active in Iran openly two years before and two years after the revolution, but eventually the government created conditions that prevented them from continuing their activities openly in the country. After that, the Center for Human Rights Defenders began its activities openly, but faced a similar fate and these suppressions continue to this day. Currently, Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani and Mohammad Seifzadeh, who are two members of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, are in prison and even Ms. Sotoudeh, who was released from prison after 3 years, is under pressure and the slightest activity could lead to her being arrested again. In such conditions, naturally, the group of activists could not continue their activities openly.

However, a positive feature can be the documentation of news and activities, which is very important; it should be considered that if even the smallest false report is published, not only will the value of the activities be lost, but the government will also take advantage of this issue. Regarding the group of activists, I have not encountered a report or news that has been proven to be non-documentary.

As you mentioned, the problems of civil society and, consequently, Iranian human rights groups or organizations are very extensive and this very issue leads to the lack of sustainability of many of these groups. In this regard, what constructive difference do you think can contribute to the sustainability and continuity of a human rights organization? Specifically, what difference can you mention for the group of human rights activists in Iran?

Human rights, as you know, have broad dimensions and include aspects of political-civil rights to economic-cultural rights. In other societies, the situation is such that various human rights groups, whether in terms of pluralism and comprehensive human rights or specific areas such as women’s rights, religious minorities, children, or opposition to execution, freely engage in activities and this is natural.

But when human rights organizations are constantly under pressure in a society and are unable to freely and legally carry out their activities, it is clear that their working conditions and situation are much more difficult, and any activity on their part must be approached with caution; both in gathering and disseminating news, more effort must be put in, because the situation is not normal.

In my opinion, any group, whether it be a group of activists, that has remained in Iran and continued its activities, has acted independently from the government. This independence from the government has both positive and negative aspects that must be taken into consideration. The positive aspect is related to being dependent on the government and the ruling system; it is clear that human rights defenders must be independent from the government and have no political or financial ties with it. However, the negative aspect is related to hostility and political behavior in the field of human rights activities; meaning that individuals may try to advance their own political goals under the banner of human rights activities.

My intention is that the fight for human rights is similar to a political struggle where unfortunately, in many cases (such as in the recent elections in February), all means and resources are used to achieve the goal – whether legitimate or not. If people gradually realize that the news coming from a human rights group or organization is accurate, this will be the best guarantee for the longevity and duration of their work and activities.

Human rights groups should not primarily fight to take the place of the government; they should fight to hold that government accountable for violating human rights and not let their opposition to a government overshadow the reality of the situation. We have seen this happen in both the Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic, with certain political groups. For example, in the 1960s, one day they would announce that there were 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, and the next week they would claim that there were 50,000. It is impossible to imagine that within a week or ten days, 20,000 more political prisoners would suddenly appear in Iran. In reality, I want to say that unfortunately, the fight for human rights was held hostage by political struggles, and in my opinion, this negative aspect caused them to focus more on opposing the government rather than the actual number of victims and the state of human rights.

“ما در حال تلاش برای بهبود شرایط زندگی خود و جامعه هستیم”

“We are striving to improve our living conditions and society.”
Documentary reporting on human rights violations – Photos from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.

In your opinion, is there a necessity for cooperation among human rights groups and if you believe in this cooperation, what is the reason for it and how do you define it at what level and in what way?

In such circumstances, it is necessary to not forget cooperation with other groups. While competition exists in every work, it should never hinder collaboration. Collaboration is even in a way that, for example, if we see a news on the Harana website, we republish it through our website and organization. And even if there is a connection, the conditions should be provided to receive more information from Harana regarding this news and its documents. And of course, this matter – as I mentioned – requires the news to be documented.

Dr. Lahiji, if you want to say something to your colleagues and companions in this group in the past decade, what would it be?

As someone with years of experience in the field of human rights, my belief is that groups should always strive to maintain their independence, be sensitive to the accuracy of their news, and emphasize the importance of documentation. I also hope that one day in Iran, conditions will be created for human rights activists to openly pursue their activities.

Thank you for your time and the opportunity you have given us.