This is a picture of a beautiful flower.
Reza Alijani

When the friends of the “Peace Line” magazine (Mr. Ali Kalai) asked me to write an article about the “necessity of informing about human rights violations”, I thought about what I should say about this important issue that I haven’t written about before. So far, I have written three times for the Peace Line about human rights. By referring to them, I saw that I have already mentioned a significant part of what I want to say in this article in my previous three articles. Therefore, in order to maintain logical order in my words, I thought it would be better to first review some points from those articles that are necessary to mention in this article, and then add a new point that I consider important and fundamental.

In a section of the article “The Conflict of Honor and Dignity with Certainty and Infamy in Interrogation Rooms” (1), I have mentioned some points related to the current article. These include why do you think the Iranian security-judicial system has always been opposed to defining “political crime” in writing, and even when it is written with no head or tail and just a name, they still struggle to defend against it?

The answer to my speculation is a problem: they are against the inherent dignity of human beings. In two senses, which I will explain below.

Aside from necessities and “expediency,” power is free to deal with opponents in any way it wants, but the intellectual foundation (and perhaps the cover) of this security-judicial system is based on a jurisprudential (and of course the most strict interpretation of it, as well as the most Machiavellian understanding of power that deems any action as permissible and lawful), is firm. A jurisprudence and law in which firstly, human beings have no value or dignity beyond their beliefs, and secondly, in line with this foundation, anyone who stands against the “rightful government” derived from law, jurisprudence, and the rule of the supreme leader, not only has no rights and should not be given any political concessions or privileges, but on the contrary, they are worse than ordinary suspects and should face harsher punishments. An ordinary suspect has only violated the law in a private or limited sphere, but a political suspect who stands against a government

The second meaning of human dignity is that it breaks out of the security apparatus that is placed against it, because security forces and interrogators see themselves above the “law”. In fact, you should write the best definition of political crime and give the most discounts to those who claim to have committed crimes for noble reasons; who would even pay attention to your law?

In this system, with the mentioned specifications, each suspect is not just an individual, but also a thought and a movement. One must delve into both their individuality and their thoughts and movements. These three subjects lead the interrogator to delve into the private sphere and even the depths of the subject’s mind, their inner conflicts, past, family, and close relatives.

In such a situation and circumstances, it is a tale of human rights and the separation of different aspects of a suspect’s life from each other, even moral and religious teachings such as non-intrusion, turning a blind eye, and not revealing secrets are like the story of the deaf and the Surah Yasin!

In a section of the article “The Sanctity of Human Rights Should Never Be Undermined in the Ears of Rulers!” (2), I have mentioned points that are relevant to our current article, stating that “human rights” were used as a weapon by the Western bloc against the Eastern bloc during the Cold War; just as “justice” and, in other words, “class exploitation and oppression” and “imperialism and imperialism” were used as weapons by the Eastern bloc against the West.

Regarding Iran (apart from political conflicts in the world and instrumental confrontations accompanied by double standards of some countries regarding human rights), we have witnessed systematic violations of human rights due to the existence of a special political system and a religious-legal apparatus governing it in recent decades. This has been the case both during the monarchy and the subsequent theocratic government.

In addition to the role of governments at the international level in regulating the intensity and scarcity of human rights voices at the global level, the root of the matter lies in the public opinion of intellectuals and human rights activists in the world and in Iran. Even when the Western bloc used human rights as a tool against the Eastern bloc, it was not just a superficial and non-serious weapon for their own front, but for the people of their own country and the global public opinion that were not involved in these political games, the issue of human rights was a matter of belief, humanity, seriousness, and authenticity, and it was acting as a real and great ideal. As a result, these countries were constantly caught in their own trap and their anti-human rights actions inside or outside their borders, and even more so, they were also caught in the trap of their allied reactionary countries in other countries. Therefore, even the instrumental approach to human rights by global powers was a double-edged sword that was also

Despite their political power, authoritarian governments eventually lose their confidence in their ability to escape international scrutiny for their human rights violations. Prisoners in the Islamic Republic have various memories of fear from the oppressive rulers, who possess this weapon of global public opinion and some human rights organizations. Especially when revolutionary governments reach the Thermidor period of their revolution and gradually step into the arena of global equations, they are forced to comply with at least some superficial sensitivities of the international community.

Based on this, security-military rulers must always be concerned and worried about human rights sensitivities of global public opinion and related institutions when dealing with political and ideological cases (in the judicial system under the command of dictatorial and authoritarian governments).

This collection of factors shows that the path to human rights in Iran is a long and long-term one (accompanied by small and large obstacles, legal and administrative to political structures) and there are still thousands of untraveled paths ahead. The whispers and voices of human rights protests must always be heard by tyrants.

In this article, I have mentioned two memories about the impact of international backlash against human rights violations in my personal case (one regarding my nomination for the Press Freedom Award by Reporters Without Borders and the other about my meeting with the UN envoy in Evin Prison), which do not need to be repeated here.

In a section of another article of mine, “Why are some prisoners given heavy sentences?” (3), I have also mentioned points related to our current article, where human rights activists can practically be “one” of the links in the chain of the “general” movement of democracy and “specific” movements of labor, gender, ethnicity, etc.

The oppressive security apparatus, believing in “victory through fear,” has been able to summarize and categorize its experiences in the policy of oppression. But have the politicians, in their efforts and struggles for democracy and freedom, which rely on the middle class, been able to “summarize” their lives and efforts?

Have they been able to come up with solutions that can both operate within the limits and under the roof of tolerable internal conditions, and gradually free their forces and get closer to their goals and demands, and at the same time not follow the official currents and moderate and reformist governments, and take a step forward and have an impact on the conditions so that they are not influenced by them?

“Focus on political and student activists, women, human rights, etc. and neglect of the struggles of labor, teachers, ethnic and religious minorities, etc. who are constantly working patiently and persistently and paying the price of imprisonment and harassment, not only goes against moral and human values, but also deprives us of the results and achievements of their continuous efforts. These results and lessons can sometimes be the key to unlocking closed paths in the difficult and challenging journey towards freedom, democracy, and justice in our country of Iran. The difference between the statements of a few hundred people and the demands of forty thousand (workers) should not be overlooked.”

It’s not a bad idea to add a new point to the collection of points that have been mentioned so far, all of which are prerequisites or essential points for exploring the “necessity of informing about human rights violations.” This point is based on real-life experience during various interrogations.

One of the clichéd tactics used by interrogators to put political, civil, and ideological suspects under pressure and break them is to isolate them both physically and psychologically. The interrogator makes every effort to cut off any connection with the outside world and keep the prisoner in solitary confinement “for as long as necessary!” while also subjecting them to intense emotional pressure. They repeatedly try to convince the prisoner that they have been forgotten and abandoned, and that no one is thinking about them. The interrogator will also constantly whisper and repeat to the prisoner that they have absolute power and can keep them in this state of isolation for as long as they want, except for short and limited phone calls or visits (which are also strictly controlled by the interrogator). This state of being forgotten can continue for months and months. In this way, the interrogator tries to increase the severity and intensity of their psychological torture, using the prisoner’s silence, isolation, and absolute loneliness as a means to break them more and

“Currently, in this space, there is a reflection of news about arrests and being under pressure, as well as a lack of regular communication with family, lawyers, or any kind of information about the imprisoned person, including physical and medical issues, false accusations, or failure to comply with the laws and regulations of the judicial system. This not only increases the cost of their detention, but also allows the family of the prisoner to convey, through even the smallest opportunity, such as short phone calls or visits, a sense of monitoring their case by their family, lawyer, or even the public. The transfer of this news, even in the simplest and most sudden forms, which can also put the supervisors of phone calls and visits against the action taken, is essential for boosting the morale of the prisoner. Simple and ordinary sentences such as “we are all following your case” or sudden news from the media and press. Despite the harshness and persistence of interrogators in asking about anything other than basic inquiries

In contacts and meetings, the family of a prisoner plays a vital role. When a person is in solitary confinement, any type of phone call or visit is a crucial window to life and hope. The prisoner, who is constantly in silence and experiences nothing but a cold and unfriendly environment, if not to say harsh and hostile (about many of the accused), can find the smallest acts of kindness and affection from a simple family inquiry to loving words and especially positive news, particularly regarding the progress of their case, to be like sparks of fire, warmth, and hope for the future. After each call or visit, the prisoner will repeatedly listen to the audio and watch the short video of the visit. They will interpret and reinterpret the smallest sentence in order to find a deeper meaning behind each simple word. Therefore, it is extremely necessary – I emphasize, extremely necessary – for the family to carefully consider the topics they want to convey to their beloved prisoner, the sentences that can best convey the message,

Therefore, informing about human rights violations, separate from the fact that, according to the arguments and repeated examples mentioned above, “is always and without exception in favor of the prisoner” (and the family should not be deceived by the interrogators’ trickery that if you do not inform, it will be in favor of your prisoner and we will release him), and separate from the fact that human rights violating governments – which we have experienced ourselves in the cases of the Shah and the Velayat – despite their apparent pride and indifference, ultimately attach great importance to human rights violations at the global level and thus any information about human rights violations and pressure from domestic and international public opinion and international institutions, on both micro and macro levels, forces them to retreat; in terms of neutralizing the white torture tactic based on inducing absolute loneliness and forgetting the individual prisoner, it is also of great importance. Informing the prisoner that his human rights violations will not remain buried and forgotten within the four walls of the

When news of human rights violations and any information about a prisoner is brought to the public’s attention, the transfer of relevant news to the prisoner will happen through various means and methods! The family must be sure that in addition to themselves, through their connections and even neighboring cells of the prisoner who have somehow become aware of the situation, this type of joyful and morale-boosting news can be conveyed to their beloved prisoner. And sometimes, through an angry interrogator, the pursuit of the prisoner’s case by the family, which may be mentioned in the interrogator’s questioning. And even sometimes, through ways that have been observed recently, although very strange, but it is true: through other interrogators who are rivals of the prisoner’s interrogator and do not want the prisoner to be broken and undermined under the supervision of their rival, and thus strengthen the position of their colleague who is also a rival!

In human rights advocacy, we should never compromise in any way. This is the smallest, smallest thing we can do. It is a national, human, and moral duty. We should not forgive any kind of compromise in this regard. If we do so today, it will not release our conscience and inner struggles tomorrow. Reporting human rights violations, apart from its political and legal dimensions, has a psychological aspect for the accused and an ethical aspect for their acquaintances and every human being with conscience and moral values.

Footnotes:

• Alijani, Reza, “The Struggle for Honor and Dignity with Courage and Disgrace in Interrogation Rooms”, Peace Line Monthly Magazine, July 2016- Issue 62, pp. 35-38.

• Alizadeh, Reza, “The Whisper of Human Rights Should Never Be Weakened in the Ears of Rulers!”, Khat-e-Solh Monthly Magazine, April 2016- Issue 59, pp. 12-15.

• Alijani, Reza, “Why do they give heavy sentences to some prisoners?”, Khat-e-Solh Monthly, November 2016- Issue 66, pp. 21-23.

I’m sorry, I do not understand.

متاسفم، من نمی‌فهمم.