Nowadays, the prominent role of social networks in shaping public opinion has become undeniable. In societies like Iran, where the educated and middle class are increasing day by day, social networks have not only provided a new form of shaping the social sphere and interactions, but have also transformed into a new platform for the activities of civil society.

In this definition, the concept of peace is addressed as”

Iran’s Right to Life Campaign”

“As an example of the efforts of civil activists to utilize the virtual space and social networks, it has gone to the goal of defending the right to life. Kuyar Goudarzi, human rights activist and founder of this campaign, answers our questions…”

As an explanation about the Iran Life Campaign and its content, please tell us when did this campaign start its activities?

The “Iran Life Campaign” started its activities on October 10th of this year, which coincides with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, and currently has nineteen thousand members on Facebook. It also includes a website and a Twitter account.

The main topics of the campaign are about explaining and formulating the right to life and striving to turn it into a dominant discourse, as well as various and diverse discussions related to the death penalty and the issue of the right to life; from the concept of punishment to the philosophy of the right to life in terms of legal rights, examining the death penalty from the perspective of human sciences such as sociology, psychology, and philosophy, the relationship of the death penalty with concepts such as power structures and authoritarian regimes, reasons and various discussions in favor or against the death penalty, and of course, the second one mainly deals with incorrect beliefs that lead to relative agreement or complicity with some forms of the death penalty, the role and relationship of religion and the death penalty, the issue of the death penalty and the role of religious enlightenment, the relationship or ideological functions of the death penalty, the death penalty and discrimination against sexual, ethnic, and women minorities, discussing the important issue of the death penalty in the

Mr. Goodarzi, please tell us what motivated you to start this campaign and pursue it?

In all the years that I have been working in human rights, one of my main concerns has been the issue of executions in Iran and the potential impact it can have on society and the image of Iranians in the global community. Additionally, we have a lack of suitable content in Persian that provides a human rights perspective on the issue of executions, while for countries like the United States where the death penalty is still in place, there have been concentrated campaigns against it for nearly half a century, with research and studies being published to the public, resulting in a decline in the percentage of supporters of the death penalty in recent decades.

Another reason that led me -and maybe I can- to change the mindset of a part of society about execution, was that the opinions we usually encounter in discussions about execution are largely rooted in lack of background knowledge and awareness about execution, as well as some incorrect and false beliefs about the effectiveness and deterrent effect of the death penalty or other reasons for supporters of execution, which, in our opinion, do not have a scientific and research-based foundation. I thought that we can help change the mindset of a part of society by providing appropriate educational content and discussions about this issue and eliminating incorrect assumptions. As we have emphasized many times in the life campaign, our main priority is not practical action towards abolishing the death penalty, as a mere symbolic gesture, but changing the culture and mindset of society and increasing public awareness about the important issue of execution and the right to life.

How much priority and seriousness does this issue have that we should look at it in this way and address it?

We think and believe that discussing the right to life, which is considered the most fundamental human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and related discussions, are essential despite the high number of executions in Iran, which has the highest per capita rate in the world and is second in terms of total number. Furthermore, this conversation can be a helpful step towards better understanding of the value and dignity of human beings, as the most central value in the discourse of human rights. Alongside this, explaining why we oppose the death penalty and where this opposition stems from can be a small but desirable step towards a society where human values such as compassion, integrity, and non-violence are respected.

As a result, our main goal, as I mentioned, is to create comprehensive and transparent content that will be published through Facebook, Twitter, and our website, and most importantly, we hope that this campaign’s website, with the completion of the content we have provided, will become a reliable and credible source in various discussions between supporters and opponents of the death penalty, and can be a guide in different topics and discussions. To achieve this, in addition to translating suitable articles and a considerable amount of credible research that has been done worldwide on executions carried out by ourselves, we have also asked various activists to write about this issue and we will have other plans for calls to write and talk about this issue.

Regarding my campaign programs, I would just like to add that in addition to the ongoing projects and initiatives aimed at engaging Persian-speaking audiences on social media networks, we will soon have online workshops and seminars to educate activists and interested individuals everywhere on human rights issues, particularly in the areas of the right to life and opposition to capital punishment.

What are the ways to collaborate with the campaign for interested individuals?

I believe the most important help that supporters can provide to the campaign is to read, follow, and share the campaign’s content with their friends. If someone wants to help in creating this content, whether through translation, writing, or preparation, we welcome it and they can contact us through the campaign’s Facebook page.

Thank you for the time you have given to the peace line…

I’m sorry, I do not understand.

متاسفم، من نمی‌توانم درک کنم.