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Samuel Bakhtiari

Text: *Suzan Noozel/ Foreign Policy

While discussions between the Islamic Republic and global powers about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program are ongoing, many experts are concerned about the world powers’ neglect of human rights issues.

In September 2013, President Obama opened a new chapter in the relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, promising better days for Iranian citizens… days when Iranian citizens can showcase their abilities to the world. However, now all concerns revolve around the 12-month deadline, and if this deadline is not met, the goals of the negotiations, which include Iran not obtaining a nuclear bomb and the lifting of all comprehensive Western sanctions, may be in jeopardy.

18 months ago, at the exact time when talks about open and hidden conversations between President Obama and President Rouhani were taking place, many Iranians and Americans were hopeful that by resolving the nuclear disputes between Iran and America, and as a result, improving the relations between the two countries, the unstable situation of human rights in Iran would also improve. But as time passed, it became clear that reaching a nuclear agreement takes precedence over everything else. The worsening of human rights situation in Iran has been met with silence from the global powers; a situation similar to what happened in 2009.

After the 2009 presidential elections, protesters against the election results were heavily suppressed. These events were taking place in Iran while the United States government had repeatedly expressed support for democratic changes in Iran. President Obama’s silence led to many criticisms. Hillary Clinton, the then Secretary of State, while supporting the actions of the US government, said that if Washington were to directly support the opposition, there was a fear that the protesters would be even more heavily suppressed. Given the previous actions of the Islamic Republic in dealing with opposition, this concern was not unfounded. However, to this day, the protesters against the election results criticize the behavior of the US government during that time period.

In 2010, the United States government pursued the issue of widespread human rights violations in Iran more seriously. The key role of the United States in selecting the United Nations Special Rapporteur was a small compensation for the US. In 2012, President Obama issued an order calling for legal action and confiscation of assets of human rights violators in Iran and Syria. This order was issued while the US President, through another order, called for Iranian citizens to have access to virtual spaces despite global sanctions; which, according to some experts, would have had a different fate for the Green Movement if Iranian citizens had freer access to virtual spaces.

After Hassan Rouhani was elected as the president in 2013, hope for change once again emerged among the Iranian citizens. During the intense election campaigns, Mr. Rouhani repeatedly promised to revive the lost rights of the Iranian citizens based on the constitution of the Islamic Republic. However, according to the report of Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN special rapporteur, Mr. Rouhani has not taken a strong step in this regard.

According to the report of Dr. Ahmad Shahid, only in 2014, 753 people were executed in Iran. Most of these individuals were executed under the charge of drug trafficking. According to the same report, the majority of the defendants were tried in short-term trials and the judicial process was unfair in most cases. Based on this report, more than half of Iranian women are victims of domestic violence and 50,000 girls under the age of 15 are forced into marriage annually. The report also mentions the notorious Evin Prison, which according to the special rapporteur, is a place for torture, rape, and even secret killings of prisoners.

The harsh treatment of the security system towards journalists continues. The risk of engaging in journalistic activities in Iran is very high and many activists in the field of journalism are behind bars. The continued detention of Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist for the Washington Post, is an example of the dire situation of Iranian journalists. Despite the emphasis of the US State Department that nuclear negotiations and the issue of Jason Rezaian’s freedom are not separate matters and are being pursued simultaneously, it seems that the nuclear negotiations are much more prominent.

It seems that with the control of the US Congress in the hands of Republicans, human rights have been considered as an effective lever to pressure Iran. Representatives Chris Smith and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have referred to the worsening situation of human rights in Iran since the election of Mr. Rouhani, portraying him as an untrustworthy person. In the Senate, Senators Marco Rubio and Mark Kirk have called on the Obama administration to include human rights in the negotiations and hold Iranian officials accountable for their human rights violations. Despite the requests of some members of Congress and the Senate for the US government to include human rights in the nuclear negotiations, the US government has repeatedly emphasized that the focus of the talks with Iran is currently the nuclear program.

Many political experts believe that the issue of human rights can play a significant role in President Obama’s policy towards Iran. Slowing down Iran’s centrifuges does not necessarily mean an improvement in human rights. The conclusion of nuclear negotiations undoubtedly reduces Iran’s economic problems and opens up the field for Iran’s participation in international affairs, but if we consider the Chinese model for Iran, economic growth, improvement in people’s living conditions, and a strong presence in international institutions have not brought any human rights achievements for China. The question that has occupied the minds of human rights activists is whether after the end of the negotiations, human rights issues have a place in Tehran’s relations with the West? Will Tehran, as an important regional partner of the West, be exempt from addressing human rights issues after the end of the negotiations? Tehran’s participation in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) will give the Islamic Republic a favorable position in the minds of the Western public. Perhaps Western countries will turn a blind eye to

On the other hand, America and the West can also advance nuclear negotiations and simultaneously demand from Tehran to address human rights issues with a new approach, using tools such as the United Nations and human rights organizations. Supporting the Rouhani government and other reformist forces, and assisting moderate forces against extremist political forces, may be ways for the West to change the Islamic Republic’s human rights violations.

The wide and untapped potential of the Iranian market, such as oil, energy, and automobiles, can experience significant growth after the lifting of sanctions. In this regard, the presence of multinational companies and their presence in Iran can also be a promising means of communication with the Western world in the middle layers of Iranian society. For example, the recent experience in Myanmar (Burma) has shown an improvement in the legal and welfare status of workers, and widespread government corruption has also decreased. With the lifting of global sanctions against Myanmar in 2012, the opposition also had the opportunity to participate in internal elections by being present in the country.

Despite heavy sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the United Nations is calling for a constructive role to be played by the government of the Islamic Republic. Tehran is also trying to regain its previous position by resolving the nuclear issue. The United Nations can convince Tehran to agree to the entry of a special rapporteur to Iran by taking this issue into consideration.

Increasing foreign events and the arrival of Western delegations to Tehran can be a winning card for the Rouhani government to show that it has broken the coldness of relations and can bring the public opinion of Iran closer to itself. This increase in presence can be a catalyst for future discussions on human rights issues, as the Western experience in talks with China and Vietnam is a acceptable model.

The result of nuclear negotiations can be the key to unlocking the 35-year diplomatic deadlock between America and Iran, and Obama is optimistic about this breakthrough. Human rights activists and advocates for democratic change in Iran, who are labeled as “obstructive” by the Islamic Republic regime, are also concerned about the establishment of this relationship, which may overshadow the issue of human rights. Direct contact with Iranian society and increasing cultural exchanges with the middle layers of Iranian society can convey the message that Washington is seeking to improve the human rights situation in Iran; in simple terms, establishing a relationship between the United States and Iran is seen as an effective step towards improving the human rights situation by the United States.

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Susan Nozel is the Executive Director of the “Pen” Association in America. Ms. Nozel previously served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United States in international organizations.