“Hurana”, which operates as the first specialized human rights news agency in Iran, has declared its mission to be informing the public with the aim of raising awareness for the benefit of victims of human rights violations. This news agency, which combines the principles of journalism with the essence and subject of human rights, has taken what actions? As a journalist, what do you know as the most prominent strength or positive difference of Hurana news agency during its years of operation?

This question-topic has been proposed to media professionals and journalists. In the following, a summary of the views and opinions of Kambooz Ghafoori, Jamshid Barzegar, Morteza Kazemian, Siyamak Ghaderi, Reza Haghighatnejad, Reza Hajihosseini, and Kaveh Gharishi regarding “The News Organization of Human Rights Activists in Iran”, on the eve of the tenth anniversary of its establishment. It should be noted that Harana News Agency began its activities in the third year of this organization’s existence, in December 2008.

I am aware of the difficulty involved in each task.

“متن فارسی”

“Farsi Text”
Jamshid Barzegar

Hirana News Agency is one of the few media outlets that in recent years not only has been able to continue its productive activities, but has also improved its quality day by day. For me, these two factors play an important and fundamental role in evaluating a media outlet.

In recent years, various websites with similar goals to each other have been formed, but many of them have had a short lifespan or have not been able to continue their work with the same dedication and widespread use as Harana.

The main problem for media outlets that are focused on Iran is the free access to information and news. This problem is twice as much for media outlets operating outside of Iran and multiple times for news agencies like HRANA that work on special topics such as human rights.

Obstacles to covering news related to human rights violations have negative consequences for these media outlets and can lead to mistakes in reporting the facts.

Hirana has been a media outlet that has been able to reflect a subject or news for the first time in many cases; however, it has not been free from mistakes and flaws. In my opinion, the more Hirana can increase its accuracy, the more it can reflect accurate and reliable news and refrain from publishing news that is not fully informed of its accuracy and validity, the more successful it will be in gaining the trust of its audience and therefore increasing its impact. I am well aware of the difficulty of your work, but I am sure that you are also well aware of this point.

Despite all this, Harana has shown that it knows well that doing a difficult but necessary task requires certain requirements that, although their constant observance is sometimes beyond the facilities and capabilities available, are as important and necessary as the goal itself.

And finally, it should be noted that the thematic files and rich archives of Harana should also be considered as strengths and highlights of this media. I wish you success in navigating the difficult but important path that you have taken.

The improvement of Rozafzon’s output and quality is noticeable.

This is a caption.

این یک عنوان است.

Morteza Kazemian

The violation of human rights in various areas in Iran is a story that cannot be ignored or denied. The extent and dimensions of the issue are such that continuous monitoring and constant reflection are necessary and important priorities.

Distorting the truth, spreading lies, and censoring news related to the violation of fundamental rights of Iranian citizens by the media and propaganda arms of the government, imposing control over independent publications and aligning them with the central power in pursuit of profit through the use of threats, intimidation, detention, and confiscation, as well as deepening self-censorship in the dissemination of news related to the violation of the basic and civil rights of Iranians by domestic media; are among the factors that have made the pursuit of human rights and monitoring its situation and quality in Iran, as well as the dissemination of news related to human rights violations by the dominant religious dictatorship, very important and necessary by independent media and those following this issue.

Although in the era of communication and information technology, there are numerous media outlets and news sources that each, from their own perspective and depending on their political or ideological priorities, address cases of human rights violations in Iran, in my opinion, “HaranA” has been able to focus on this issue and with sincerity, consistency, and serious pursuit, publish relevant news through various news channels and its own dedicated platform, with appropriate speed and accuracy.

The tireless efforts, especially after the fraudulent election of 1388 and the subsequent brutal and bloody crackdowns, are noteworthy and deserving of recognition.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در طبیعت آرام و آرام قرار گرفته است.”

“This photo is a beautiful landscape of a mountain that is nestled in a peaceful and tranquil nature.”
Occasional and periodic statistical reports of the collection.

Although the output of “Hrana” has not been free from flaws or mistakes – which, in the field of journalism, especially under the shadow of the consequences of dictatorship within the country, is inevitable – the continuous improvement of the output and quality of the website has been noticeable, making it one of the reliable news sources in the field of human rights violations.

The story can be described as the continuity of the website’s work, its output of human rights and its disregard for boundaries that conflict with the concept of human rights, and the increase in quality, quantity, and speed in publishing news and articles, as features that unfortunately – for various reasons and reasons – are not widespread and numerous in the field of similar media activities.

Abu Sa’id Abu al-Khair, a famous mystic of the fourth and fifth century, said: “God have mercy on whoever takes a step forward.”

From this perspective, the efforts of the founders and activists of “Hirana” are worthy of sincere “thank you” and “well done”.

Strong belief and faith are the reasons for the continuity of every task.

“متن فارسی”

“Farsi text”
Siamak Ghadiri

At first, it is necessary to mention the way I got acquainted with the group of activists, which was twofold:

The first aspect is related to the years of my imprisonment. During that time, I was associated with a group of young activists. These young people, despite not being experienced political activists, were so committed to their path and ideals that they continued to stand up for them throughout their time in prison. Their freedom was also accompanied by the completion of their sentences and the usual legal process. In this sense, facing these young people was very interesting to me.

My second type of acquaintance was due to the lack of discrimination in the news coverage of this news agency. In fact, for all of us, whether when we were in prison and were reporting prison news (I had collaborated with the website Kalameh both before and during my time in prison in this regard, and in fact, one of my charges was related to this), or now, the issue of having a news organization that covers human rights violations without political bias and that we can trust has always been important and significant. This weakness and criticism is much less evident in this news agency compared to other media outlets and even larger ones, and this issue is exactly in line with the mindset expressed in the statements of human rights activists in Iran.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در آن آسمان آبی و ابرهای سفید به خوبی قرار گرفته اند.”

This picture is a beautiful landscape of a mountain where the blue sky and white clouds are perfectly placed.
Some colleagues of the group are demanding the release of Farzad Kamangar – Ibn Babawayh – 1388 – Photo from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.

It must be said that the collection of activists and the news agency Harana have been very important and effective as an independent source for human rights news in the past 10 years, coinciding with civil protest movements. Harana, as far as I know, began its activities in 2009 and has been active for over 6 years. This is while during this time, we have witnessed the emergence of many powerful websites with strong economic and especially political backing, such as Kalameh, Jaras, and Rooz, which came and made great efforts. We, as media owners, are grateful for their efforts and consider their work important and appropriate; but the issue is whether a media outlet can maintain its position in the midst of this turmoil and waves.

Based on my twenty years of experience in journalism and media, I am familiar with the challenges and difficulties of establishing an independent news agency, including financial and personnel management issues. I have always wondered how a media outlet can survive for years without a strong and defined budget, and this is exactly what Harana has achieved. Personally, I believe that the reason for this is a strong belief and faith. In fact, those who work in this field have a strong belief in their work, and such belief cannot be easily created without dedication and organization.

This is an interesting point that the group of activists, by employing ideals related to principles and the path of human rights, have organized and analyzed the efforts of individuals and placed them in a suitable and good direction; the result and outcome of which has been the Harana website. In this regard, we must thank the officials of this organization who have arranged and continued this organization. Here, I would like to specifically mention the late Jamal Hosseini, who was the editor-in-chief of Harana for many years and also made great efforts in this regard. In the history of media work, he is remembered as an influential and believing person and for preserving these professional principles, he deserves respect and the hat can be taken off to him.

They said Harana is a liar.

“این تصویر نشان دهنده یک گلدان با گل های زیباست”

This image shows a beautiful flower pot with flowers.
Reza Haghighatnejad

On a cold evening of one of the days of Azar 92, I walk up a cold and deserted street in the city of Nushahr, Turkey. Our meeting place is a restaurant, to see a few Iranian refugees. My journalist friend shows me a building before reaching the restaurant: “This is the office of Harana.” He also worked there. I wanted to know more, maybe go up and see what’s going on, but I couldn’t.

I had heard the name Herana before. A few times, there were rumors that had been spread, and my journalist friends had said, “Once again, Herana has spread false news.” Even when we wanted to publish a report on political or religious prisoners in IranWire, we were careful not to use Herana as a source, and if we did, we would double check with other sources.

In Esfand 92, I wanted to write a report about the dervishes of Iran. I needed some initial information, so I went to different places and reached out to various people. I found a reliable source and double-checked the information with other sources, and it was accurate.

They had a few characteristics. First of all, they were very experienced and had first-hand news. It was clear that they had a strong information network that delivered news very well and accurately to the public. Many of the news were from inside the prison. The children who had previously been in prison and were now out of Iran, still had connections to the prison and were able to turn this connection into a potential media and even set themselves apart from other media outlets.

The second feature of Herana was having a file. Herana did not let go of the news. When someone was arrested, you could track the progress of their file, issuance of sentence, bail, or release in Herana. The very important point was that there was no discrimination; famous or unknown prisoners, prisoners of conscience or political prisoners, people of this religion or that religion, these categories did not rule and all prisoners were properly covered. This situation had made Herana have a strong, serious and reliable archive.

Afterwards, I saw that they also have a monthly report on the human rights situation in Iran. These cases showed that there is a group in Iran who think, plan, and have goals. When I connected my own observations with good sources like newspapers, prison letters, or the website of the library, I clearly saw that many previous judgments about Iran were wrong.

I strongly believed and still believe that Herana has filled a significant void in information dissemination. Opposition groups, human rights activists, and the freedom sector need specialized websites like Herana. I heard this from a human rights activist who said that there is a lot to say about the injustices that have been inflicted on Kurdish women since the early days of the revolution; what they have done to virgin girls and the like. We wanted to prepare a report and verify these claims, but the available documents were very limited. Kurdish activists have been negligent in documenting these injustices. We must document, record, and gather evidence of government injustices. These actions are not directly related to information dissemination; other websites could also cover the news from Herana or publish it under their own name without mentioning the source. These are not just complaints, the main issue is the lack of sufficient evidence to document the crimes of the past three decades in Iran. Fortunately, Herana has covered a part of this void, and

But in those days, I didn’t know the editor-in-chief of Harana, Syed Jamal Hosseini, I hadn’t seen him either. My journalist friend didn’t mention anything special about him. I didn’t follow up on whether it was my own shortcoming or a special characteristic of his immigration, so no relationship was formed between us. When I heard the sad news of his death in the summer of 2014, I regretted it a lot, but what’s the use.

I remember those days when I read and asked about Jamal Hosseini. The volume of news about his death and the cause of his death was high. His life had interesting points for me. First, he had worked in the media for many years. Second, he was a man of institutions and had worked for many years alongside a group of human rights activists, of which Harana was also one of their products. Third, he was a hard worker and had strong determination. These qualities are not present in many of us journalists.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در آن آسمان آبی و ابرهای سفید وجود دارد.”

This photo is a beautiful landscape of a mountain where there is a blue sky and white clouds.
The group of activists pays tribute to Jamal Hosseini on the first anniversary of his passing – 1393 – Photo from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.

Usually, when we have resources or opportunities, instead of thinking about establishing a media outlet, we want to become a media outlet ourselves. That’s why we talk about everything and pretend to know everything. Jamal Hosseini, along with his colleagues, played a role in establishing an institution and a support network to reach a specific field. He himself had moved forward without any fuss, without wasting time and money.

In recent months, I have written less about the prison and have seen less of Harana. I have previously talked with a friend about what will happen to Harana after Jamal. Of course, Harana was not just Jamal, she was a member of a larger group, but she was an effective player. My friend was optimistic that the website and the group would continue on their path, and I too hoped that Harana would continue her work with the same goodness as before. Every time I have checked, I see that the foundation of the work has been preserved.

In my opinion, inheritance is a very important matter. Think back on many of the wars in your life, from within the family over the inheritance of a father to the higher levels of government over the inheritance of a leader. Many tensions, deviations, and incidents are due to not knowing the customs of inheritance. From the outside, standing here and based on my knowledge, I can say that the beauty of inheritance has been preserved. I believe this is the most important gift that can be talked and written about every year on the birthday of each of us, on the birthday of beauty, and even on the anniversary of his death.

Hirana, a recognized authority and media.

“منظوری از شهر”

“A view of the city”
Reza Hajihosseini

It seems that the news organization of the human rights activists in Iran is a group that has been able to create an intelligent and reliable network, especially within Iran. It keeps it active and swiftly publishes news related to human rights in various fields through this news organization.

The performance of this collection in informing has provided conditions for each one to introduce themselves as a reference.

It must be said that a media with a seven-year history is considered young; of course, it is true that if a series stays on air for six months in Iran, it has lived a long life, but the prevailing standards are different and on this basis, the fact that it has been able to become a recognized and authoritative media in this period is a positive point.

It is natural that in journalism there is always a percentage of error, but currently there is a place where it can be referred to as a reliable source. Another point that is important to me is that I usually do not see news and information related to a specific individual or group being published on this platform, and we are witnessing a variety of news from different groups and political prisoners. It is not the case that news is not published or ignored under the pretext that someone belongs to a certain group or category.

“این یک تصویر است”

“This is an image.”
“Art for the Advancement of Human Rights – A Work by Soheil Akbarpour”

Regarding the audience and attracting them, two points come to my mind in relation to Harana: The first point is related to the website and I think Harana’s website can become more attractive than it currently is. In my opinion, the website currently has a gloomy atmosphere; of course, this feeling may be conveyed because unfortunately, Harana’s news is not always pleasant and it is natural for the type of news to affect the audience’s perception of the website. However, if the website’s appearance and design can be improved and made more vibrant, it is possible to create more visual appeal for the audience.

Another point is that one must see how much or how willing the target audience can be changed. Currently, it seems that the majority of activities of human rights activists are for other media or other groups of human rights activists. Of course, I am not certain about this and you probably know better in the news organization of the human rights activists in Iran and understand to what extent you have been able to be a public media; meaning how many people visit your website and how you have been able to attract diverse internet users. Although, if the definition, desire, and policies of your organization are essentially not to have a website for the public, there can be no criticism towards it.

Dealing with ambiguities and contradictions of human rights, the roadmap of every person.

“این عکس یک مرد مسن در حال خواندن کتاب است.”

“This picture is of an elderly man reading a book.”
Kaveh Ghoreishi

The collection, groups, institutions and committees of human rights that started one after another, were the product of the era of political and social reforms (the era of reforms – Khatami) in Iran and perhaps their lifespan should have ended with the end of this era; an era in which the discussion of civil society, formalism of human rights and citizenship rights replaced direct and political protests.

Naturally, the activities of the media have played a positive role in familiarizing Persian-speaking audiences with global reports and documentaries on human rights. From the very beginning, Herana showed special attention to the rights of minority prisoners and, in this regard, did its best to cover their news, even in situations where their rights were being violated in mainstream media. This set Herana apart from other Persian-language media outlets related to Iran at the time. Although, at the same time as Herana, these minorities themselves voluntarily covered their news on the websites and blogs they created.

The activities of human rights projects in Iran, whether intentional or unintentional, have mostly been focused on the form of human rights rather than its content during these years. Their efforts have been aimed at separating human rights from the idea of politics and constantly placing it in opposition or conflict with political matters. Human rights, being intertwined with the system, is inherently a political issue and any attempt to separate it from the power structure is doomed to fail. Because as soon as the rights are demanded from the system, the demanders are clearly stepping into the realm of politics; even if they deny it or are not aware of it.

The activities of the human rights activists in Iran in the past years have been limited and focused on informing about the violation of the rights of prisoners or “victims”. The subject of human rights is in fact the subject of politics, so it should not be equated with the rights of victims, prisoners, or those deprived of any rights.

A roadmap for continuing projects like Harana at this stage is to address ambiguities and contradictions in human rights, or citizen rights, in order to not only advance the idea of human rights, but also challenge the conditional nature of these rights on membership in national societies or nation-states.

“در این تصویر، یک گلدان با گل‌های زیبا در میان یک میز قرار گرفته است”

In this image, a vase with beautiful flowers is placed on a table.
Reporting from Kurdistan – 1387 – Photo from the archive of human rights activists in Iran.

Human rights, as introduced in Iran by human rights organizations, are based on the existence of a nation-state and its recognition. Therefore, we see that organizations and similar projects, during their years of activity, refrain from addressing the rights of individuals who deny the nation-state of Iran or see themselves in conflict with it. Despite the demand for the right to determine their own fate by some minorities in Iran, human rights projects do not give it much importance.

In such circumstances, relevant human rights organizations can challenge the common interpretation of human rights in Iran. What is the impact of concepts such as “national identity and territorial integrity” on these rights and their Iranian supporters? Can these projects, for example, address the right to self-determination in a fair manner and to the same extent as they prioritize human rights in the environment and nature, to the point of political and geographical separation? Where does the elimination of fundamental and group discrimination, including the natural right to choose one’s own language in education and its use in life and work, and other political and legal self-management rights, stand in human rights projects?

Answering these questions can create a roadmap and a suitable route for the future to continue and improve the activities of human rights organizations, including the Harana News Agency.

Hrana, the first source for publishing news of political prisoners.

“این عکس یک گلدان گل آبی با گل‌های سفید و بنفش است.”

This picture is of a blue flower pot with white and purple flowers.

Kambiz Ghafouri

Reporting on human rights violations in self-governing governments is a difficult task. Violators of human rights never admit to their actions, they deny them and do not easily provide you with news and evidence.

Accurate and precise reporting is a task that Herana has been striving for since the beginning. With the use of reliable sources, this website has been able to gain a significant position among media outlets, to the extent that it is now sometimes the first or only source of news in areas such as political prisoners.

One of the admirable features of Herana is its coverage of news related to all prisoners and victims of human rights violations, regardless of their political, religious, or racial beliefs. Many unknown prisoners have been recognized through this website.

I hope that Herana continues to grow and that this website becomes more professional and effective with each passing day. Without a doubt, if it were not for Herana, the media community would lack a good companion that focuses