The Bonyad-e Baromand (Baromand Foundation), founded by Roya Baromand and Ladan Baromand in 1380 (2001) and ten years after the murder of their father, Abdolrahman Baromand – who is considered one of the first actions of the Islamic Republic to eliminate dissidents outside the country – is a tribute to their father and to achieve its goals. The Baromand sisters, both of whom have studied in France and have obtained their PhDs in history, founded this foundation. The Baromand Foundation strives to promote justice and establish democracy and its stability in Iran through education and strengthening the culture of people’s sovereignty and the promotion of human rights.

On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, a peace dialogue was held with Dr. Roya Boroumand, one of the officials of the Boroumand Foundation, as one of the most experienced Iranian organizations defending human rights. This conversation was significant because her observations and accounts could provide a historical narrative of civil society and human rights institutions in Iran in recent years.

Mrs. Boroumand, let me go back ten years for the first question; at that time when the community of activists was generally much weaker and smaller than today and of course the role of social networks was not as prominent. When did you hear about the announcement of this group’s existence and did you take it seriously at all? If possible, please explain your interpretation and feelings about this matter.

I don’t remember exactly if I was aware of the existence of the activist group at the time or not, but we were generally following the activities of students and young people continuously. Of course, as you mentioned, there were no social networks like today, but we were following their activities through websites, blogs, and news agencies inside Iran. The reason was that young people are the ones who shape the future of Iran, and this issue, although it is very clear now, was not clear to everyone at that time. Therefore, the intellectual and organizational changes of young people, especially their focus on human rights and violations of human rights laws, were of great importance to us. In that regard, we were also trying to familiarize the international public opinion with the news and demands of students as much as possible, and during that time, we also got to know the group and its founders.

But if I am to specifically mention the first time that the activities of the activists caught our attention, it goes back to the time (I think it was in 2007) when the group published a report or booklet titled “Behind the Scenes of Social Security” which was about the Kahrizak Detention Center. In fact, the fact that a group in Iran had published a relatively accurate report that addressed the situation of ordinary people was very interesting and important to us. I say this because our experience after the revolution was a painful one; many activists, parties, and those who were active in Iran did not pay much attention to ordinary people. At that time, the imprisonment of student and political activists and other similar issues were more pressing, and the fact that a group had come and addressed the Kahrizak issue was something new and praiseworthy for us. Of course, I was happy about it, but also worried and I would tell my colleagues that such a report could

What is your perspective on paying attention to ordinary people and why do you consider it important?

My intention is that they were not only paying attention to political elites and in fact, the term “ordinary people” can be used here in contrast to political elites. The fact that a grassroots human rights organization was formed by a group of young people was very important to us. Most groups and organizations are affiliated with political organizations and therefore defend political elites and their colleagues. The fact that individuals, regardless of their political inclinations, have formed an organization that addresses human rights violations was still good news.

Considering that you have been following the activities of this group for a decade, what do you think is the defining strength or difference that can be attributed to this group?

One of the strengths of this group is that over time it has shown that the rights of all are important to them and they do not discriminate between citizens. To be honest, as I mentioned before, my experience after the revolution was the indifference of existing groups towards the oppression that they were aware of towards their opposing groups or even ordinary people. The events of the first year after the revolution completely changed my view on political activities and political groups in Iran. The situation did not improve in the following years either.

When we started our work, one of our main goals was to document human rights violations. Our focus is mainly on the issue of executions, but our goal is to not forget anyone in this regard and not only focus on the elites. If we want people to believe in the importance of human rights and have a fundamental cultural change, we must show them in action how important their dignity and rights are. They should not be valued solely based on “who they are” or “what they do” in life, but rather because they simply “exist”. That is why the transformation in this matter and the approach of our activists has become very important to us.

Another strong point of the collection – at least as far as we knew – was that it was not personality-driven. This means that contrary to existing tradition, the individuals who were responsible for the progress of the work were working quietly and without any special attention. This is an important issue and I think it is very valuable in the current situation in Iran; because if organizations become personality-driven, it is enough for something to happen to that personality for the organization to fall apart.

Another aspect that can be mentioned is that, due to his success, he did not give up his efforts. This means that despite having an initial success, his reports were read or talked about, it did not cause them to consider their work finished and instead, they constantly strive to improve and make their work better. In this regard, if I want to give an example, my example is about the way they report. In the beginning, if, for example, I read a report about an execution, arrest or conviction, several questions came to my mind, such as what was their crime, when were they arrested and when was their trial held; but now my questions have become much less and when I read a report, many of the things I need to know about the subject are mentioned in that report and this process is getting better day by day.

In your opinion, how influential is the group of activists, especially in the reporting sector, which is one of your areas of expertise?

In general, the impact of human rights work is not measurable. Let me put it this way: we always think, what if it wasn’t there?! If there were no reports, would human rights violators violate human rights even more? I believe this is truly the case; in any case, this type of information restricts the actions of human rights violators and takes away their freedom. It should be noted that from the beginning of the establishment of this organization until today, it has been the only source for many news, including news about prisons and executions. This shows that the activists of this organization have created an important position as a source of news about human rights violations for themselves, which not only benefits the organization, but other organizations also regularly use its news; although some of them may not mention the organization as the source, there is no doubt that without the organization, the news would remain incomplete. I have seen that even non-Iranian activists and media refer to its news.

Criticism is always present; just as I even have criticism towards my own work, we cannot expect the collection to be free of criticism.

“این تصویر نشان دهنده یک خانواده شاد و خوشبخت است.”

This image shows a happy and joyful family.
Roya Barmand is speaking at the commemoration ceremony of Seyed Jamal Hosseini at George Washington University – 1393 – Photo from the archive of Iranian human rights activists.

In my opinion, you have an emotional relationship with this group and of course similar organizations; if this statement is correct, can you tell me where this harmony and affection come from?

Yes, the emotional relationship that you are talking about exists. We started our work and raised issues and translated them in order to encourage and help young people like you and your colleagues to continue such work. For us, seeing such organizations being formed is heartening and truly gives hope. In any case, those who have founded the organization or are reporters and work with this organization could and still can pursue their work and lives like many other citizens. But despite the difficulties, arrests, imprisonment, and exile, the organization has continued its work and this is commendable. People like us, considering our age, do not have much time left and we need hope for the future. This hope and satisfaction has been created for us by the organization; because they bring to the world’s attention many cases of human rights violations that no one knew about.

It should be noted that despite the blow it received a few years ago, the collection did not lose hope and rebuilt itself, which is commendable. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, for me, the fact that the collection is not character-centered is very valuable and strengthens this emotional relationship.

You mentioned the blow that the human rights organization received in February 2010. What was your analysis of such a widespread attack on a human rights organization at that time?

At that time, from where we believed that students and young people, who make up the majority of the Iranian population, were seen as the hope for our future and the events that happened to them were of great importance, we, at the [Bonyad-e Baromand] organization, collected information not just for publication, but also to document cases such as student activities, their demands and organization, as well as disciplinary punishments in universities or by the intelligence and judicial authorities, in Excel files. From these numerous reports and information, which reached thousands in the years 2007-2008, it was clear that something was changing inside Iran; because punishments were being transferred from the disciplinary committee to the judicial authorities, and their numbers were increasing day by day. So when this incident happened to the group, I wasn’t really surprised. I always said that these kids are very brave and courageous, and despite being inside Iran, they still speak out against things like deaths in detention centers. On

At that time, we were mostly worried about what would happen next. When an organization or group is hit by the enemy (people who confront those who violate human rights, in my opinion they are enemies and I cannot describe them in any other way), especially when the enemy is much stronger, naturally hatred and distress arise and everyone looks for the culprit. These issues always arise. In these thirty-something years, we have witnessed many organizations that were founded with great hope, but soon disappeared and even their names are no longer there. So when that happened, I was not sure if the group could gather itself again and resume its work. But it became clear that due to the persistence and perseverance that exists, that crisis was also overcome and that is very important.

If you were to say something to the members and colleagues of this group after a decade of activity, what would that statement be?

First of all, I must thank them for their efforts and for not losing hope despite the many difficulties, and I appreciate their continued activity. In any case, people like you, as members and colleagues, are the hope for the future of Iran, and if they become disheartened, there will no longer be a positive image of the future.

Another point is that they should keep truthfulness as their main principle, because it is very important that this issue and the fact that they do not let their politics or political interests interfere with their human rights documentation work. Our strength against enemies and violators of human rights is truth; not more or less, and this is the only thing that the opposing party cannot fight against. In this regard, it seems that the group has done well so far and I hope they continue to do so and always remember this principle.

My other point is that the number of people documenting human rights violations in Iran is very small compared to the tragedy that has happened in our country in recent decades. That’s why we should try to work together so that everyone can shoulder a part of this heavy burden. Of course, I understand that there is competition to some extent between different groups and it’s good to have it and it’s natural, but I hope my colleagues always remember that competition should not hinder cooperation.

While I believe that every organization should regularly distance themselves from their work in order to see which tasks are being done better, which areas have more resources, and which parts of their work are more essential; to see which tasks need to be done and which ones are not as necessary. This is a very important issue because the daily grind and excessive work can confuse and disorient a person; we are always running and always falling behind, and in fact, my own experience has been that we forget to take this distance. This is a recommendation that I have for every human rights organization, and especially for a diverse set of tasks.

In the end, I want to thank you and your colleagues more than anything and hope for your continued success.

Mrs. Boroumand, we would like to say to you and your colleagues, “Thank you for your hard work” and we appreciate the opportunity you have provided us with in the peace line.