Dr. Mohammad Ali Eslami Nedushan, a prominent contemporary Iranian writer, researcher, and scholar, although he has academic qualifications in law and holds a PhD in international law from Sorbonne University in France, has never professionally engaged in legal issues and it seems that law was not his field of interest. He did not continue his career as a judge and from that time until now, he has devoted himself to the world of literature. However, this deliberate and not ignorant avoidance of legal and international law issues does not mean that he did not care about them, but on the contrary, he always had this human concern, especially for the Iranian people, which is reflected in his works. The only legal work of this wise professor is a book entitled “Mentioning the Merits of Human Rights in the Third World”. In this book, he specifically addresses this human concern through the window of law, of course, with his own literary atmosphere, and dedicates this work to the unknown

This book, as the author mentions in the preface, was gradually published in a series of articles starting from Azar month of 1356 (November/December 1977), a time when the open political atmosphere was still dominated by the wolf and jackal. First in the monthly magazine “Neghin” and then in “Khandaniha” with the author’s permission to reprint. Finally, in Mehr month of 1357 (September/October 1978) and after four months of waiting for a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Arts, it was published as a book. This work was the first writing to break the traditional boundaries of banned publications and although it had the title of the Third World, it was clear that it had its own country in mind.

The chapters of this book, which indicate its subjects, are as follows: “People raised in an unjust society”, “Human, meaning a living being plus rights”, “The threefold rights of individuals: 1- the right to life, 2- the right to freedom, 3- the right to pursue happiness”, “Three types of manifestation of freedom: 1- freedom of assembly, 2- freedom of speech, 3- freedom from restraint and fear”, “Political freedom lies within organization”, “Government versus the people”, “The Third World in relation to the rest of the world”, “Remembering human rights” and “Progressive humans and backward humans”.

Dr. Nedoushan states in the introduction of this book: “Today, humanity, who is aware and awake of their own destiny, cannot live for a long time with scattered thoughts, false hopes, and pseudo-democracy. They are concerned about their future and want to find a path of security. This path, whatever it may be, must be determined through the free vote of the people; meaning that this feeling should give them the understanding that they are meant to participate in determining the policies and administration of the country…”

In a section of the book that also delves into the concept of freedom in detail, it is stated: “Since pure force has always been a means of ruling, it has been necessary to either convince people of legitimacy or at least prevent them from considering it illegitimate. In governments where the voice of the people had no influence, force and belief were the two sides of the scale that had to remain balanced, otherwise there would be disruption and the lifespan of the government would be jeopardized.

The union of force and belief, or in other words, the “sword and pen” union has been a delicate one; in this regard, Parsi or non-Parsi religious leaders have played a significant role. If we look at history and how these two powers of authority and sovereignty have intertwined, in a struggle that sometimes involved cooperation and other times conflict, we can see rulers who have tried to use religion as a means of control, and others who have used their power to manipulate the laws according to their own desires.

Reading this book, although written during the Pahlavi monarchy, is recommended to those interested and striving in the field of human rights at any time, due to the value of the work and the timeless nature of the topics discussed by the author.

Book Title: Mentioning the Achievements of Human Rights in the Third World

Author: Dr. Mohammad Ali Eslami Nadoshan

Arman Publications

Print number: Fourth, 1372