This is a picture of a flower.
Javad Abbasi Toulali

The concept of “citizens’ rights” has a fifteen-year history in the legal system of Iran. However, it must be acknowledged that despite all the laws and regulations that have been put in place during these fifteen years, what has always violated the survival and preservation of this concept is the politics and ideology governing Iran. Despite the existence of enacted laws, the actions of the judicial and security institutions in Iran during the rule of the Islamic Republic have always been subject to unwritten laws and orders that may, for the sake of the system’s interests, disregard all or part of the citizens’ rights of every Iranian individual. On the other hand, the lack of a comprehensive system for teaching citizens’ rights in Iran has resulted in most Iranians being unaware of their most basic and fundamental rights. This, along with the arbitrary actions of the governing institutions in Iran, has rendered the concept of “citizens’ rights” largely meaningless. According to Article 36 of the Charter of Citizens’ Rights, which

“Personal life, family matters, place of residence, or communications should not be subject to arbitrary interference…”. These sentences, taken from Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, explicitly defend the right to privacy and security of individuals around the world. Article 3 of the same declaration also emphasizes the importance of personal security. However, in authoritarian regimes such as the Islamic Republic, the arbitrary and extra-legal actions of security forces and the judiciary in suppressing dissent and the constant efforts to impose social engineering by the government on one hand, and the loopholes in the Iranian constitution that give individuals and institutions special privileges beyond the law on the other hand, have made it easy for individuals’ privacy to be violated and infringed upon.

“Fire at will as a green light is a violation of civil rights.”

“Wherever you feel that the central system is malfunctioning and unable to manage properly, that is where you must take matters into your own hands. It means you must make your own decisions, think, move, and take action…” These sentences are part of a speech by Ayatollah Khamenei to a group of Basij students in June 2017.

During the four decades of the Islamic Republic’s rule, we have witnessed countless examples of arbitrary actions by security and military forces towards citizens. From the prominent example of the chain murders project to various forms of arrests, executions, and other similar actions. The commanding and addressing phrase “fire at will,” which was used by Ali Khamenei about two years ago in a gathering of Basij students, is actually a legal loophole that allows security agents to violate any citizen’s rights, including their privacy. Without a doubt, the use of this phrase by the leader of the Islamic Republic is aimed at controlling the current protests and social uprisings.

Protecting privacy is defending the cornerstone of democracy.

Without a doubt, the security and mental peace of individuals in society depends on their assurance that their secrets and personal lives are safe from intrusion by others – especially government agencies. This fundamental security and peace will be the first step towards a society moving towards the principles of democracy. As long as a person sees themselves at risk of being attacked by security institutions, they cannot fully exercise their rights to determine their destiny, choose their beliefs, and exercise their basic political and social rights. The Islamic Republic’s constant violation of individuals’ privacy has led to self-censorship, frustration, and ultimately the confiscation of society as a whole in favor of its own policies. The transition to democracy in such a society is certainly unlikely and unimaginable. A brief examination of Ayatollah Khomeini’s statements as the founder of the Islamic Republic regarding his repeated recommendations and orders to monitor citizens and people spying for intelligence agencies can be seen as the opposite of the fundamental principle of preserving individuals’ privacy. In fact,