Hadi Ghiami is the director of the International Human Rights Campaign in Iran. On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights Activists Association in Iran, we approached him and asked about the performance of this human rights organization and the reason for its continued activities.

Mr. Ghayemi speaks about peace in this regard: “The greatest feature of this collection that has led to its longevity, is its awareness and reporting from inside the prisons of Iran. In addition, the collection has been successful in monitoring, addressing, and reporting on various human rights violations in Iran, and has been able to advocate for the demands of religious minorities, ethnic minorities, and different segments of society, and inform the public about them.”

How would you describe the group of human rights activists in Iran after a decade of activity, and if you could highlight one positive characteristic of this group’s performance, what would that positive characteristic be in your opinion?

In the past decade, organized human rights activities in Iran have seen a significant increase and the human rights activists in Iran have been among the organizations that have contributed to this growth. They have been able to promote a culture of human rights within Iran and have been involved in the growth of this movement.

I see the most important feature of this collection as its reporting from inside Iranian prisons, and I believe that the collection has been very successful in drawing attention to political prisoners.

As you are aware, the problems of civil society and, consequently, Iranian human rights groups and organizations are very numerous and this very issue leads to the discontinuation of many of these groups. With this explanation, what constructive difference do you think can contribute to the sustainability and continuity of a human rights organization? Specifically, what difference can you mention for the group of human rights activists in Iran?

The most important feature of the sustainability of a civil society is that it has its roots within the community and the community of civil activists, and grows within it. Considering that the government of Iran does not allow such organizations to operate within the country in a conventional manner and constantly puts pressure on them, achieving this issue becomes much more complicated and difficult; however, as long as organizations can meet the needs of society, attract new generations, and make the whole society their audience, they can continue to exist.

“ما در حال حاضر در حال بررسی وضعیت سفارش شما هستیم.”

“We are currently reviewing the status of your order.”
Visual Reports of the Collection of Prisons – Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj – 1389 – Photo from the Archive of Human Rights Activists in Iran.

One of the biggest features of this collection that has made it enduring – as I mentioned – is being informed and reporting from inside the prisons of Iran. In addition, the collection has been successful in following up, addressing and reporting on various human rights violations in Iran, and has been able to advocate for the demands of religious minorities, ethnic minorities, and different segments of society and inform about them.

In your opinion, is there a necessity for cooperation among human rights groups and if you believe in this cooperation, what is the reason for it?

Yes, cooperation between civil organizations, especially human rights organizations, is very effective and important. However, the characteristic of organizations working in the field of Iran is that they cannot have official and conventional structures within Iran, and the majority of them are organized outside of Iran or followed up on. Since cooperation should require these organizations to be able to expand their activities within the community, such cooperation becomes difficult. Unfortunately, it must be said that the strategic work of all these organizations is done outside of Iran, in different countries and even continents. However, in recent years, we have seen an increase in such cooperation and I hope that one day these organizations can exist within Iran to be able to expand their activities and cooperation within the community.

If you were to speak to your colleagues and companions of this group after a decade, what would that speech be about?

I congratulate them for being able to keep this collection up and running for a whole decade, especially their attention to political prisoners and timely reporting from inside the prisons, which I find very commendable.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us in the monthly magazine “Khat-e-Solh”.