Rahim Vahedi is the president of the Association for the Defense of Chemical Victims’ Rights in Sardasht, which has been operating as a non-profit organization in this city since 1380 (2001). 11 members of Mr. Vahedi’s family lost their lives in the chemical bombing of Sardasht by Iraq, and even after 29 years, when he talks about his cousin “Idris”, who according to him was a 5-6 month old baby and the youngest martyr in their family, he gets choked up.

Mr. Vahedi, in an interview with the magazine “Khat-e-Solh”, while mentioning that many of the victims of the chemical bombing in Sardasht were not recognized as chemical warfare veterans and are deprived of the services provided for them, says: “In my opinion, this is a global issue and the burden should not only be on one government. The international community must make a decision for the victims of chemical weapons because these individuals have become victims of a heinous crime against humanity.”

Despite emphasizing the lack of resources and necessary support, he hopes that in the future, the survivors of this incident will be able to witness the trial of its perpetrators in international judicial bodies.

Mr. Vahedi, please first tell our readers a little about the Cold Shat Chemical Injured Rights Defense Forum; such as the purpose of its establishment and the type of activities it has had so far.

This forum – as its name suggests – has been created to defend the chemical victims who live in this city and have become victims of the chemical bombardment of the Ba’ath regime in Iraq.

Sardasht is a border city located about 12 kilometers away from Iraq. During the war, it was constantly bombed and shelled, but the most tragic event that occurred was the use of chemical weapons by the Ba’ath regime during their attack on the city on July 7, 1987. They bombed four central points of the city with six mustard gas bombs. Interestingly, Sardasht was not a place where any fighting or war was taking place, but Saddam would regularly bomb and shell cities and people’s homes based on his malicious intentions.

The purpose of forming this association, in the first phase, has been to reflect this crime on an international level. As you are aware, the tragedy of Sardasht did not have any international reflection or condemnation from human rights organizations, while we believe that if the news of the chemical bombing of Sardasht had been reflected and human rights and international organizations had condemned it and imposed restrictions on Saddam’s regime, a larger tragedy like the Halabja tragedy would not have happened, which claimed a large number of victims in this broad dimension (the bombing of Halabja happened 8 months after Sardasht). As a result of this lack of awareness and silence of the international community in the face of this tragedy, some families of victims of chemical weapons in Sardasht decided to take action to make the world aware of this crime, and ultimately, this association obtained its license in 2001 and was established as the first NGO in Iran working in this field.

Furthermore, the Association for the Defense of Chemical Weapons Victims in Sardasht, in its first national effort, carried out extensive activities to introduce Sardasht as a city victimized by chemical weapons to the people and officials. It then pursued its activities at the international level and currently we are a monitoring member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in the Netherlands.

What is the number of casualties and injuries in the incident of the chemical bombing in Sardasht?

According to official statistics, the population of Sardasht was around 17,000 during that time. Sardasht is a small town where everyone has familial connections and social interactions, and during the Iran-Iraq war, it was never evacuated. According to official statistics, around 4,500 people were estimated to be injured in the initial stages, but over time and even with the birth of subsequent generations, the number of victims of these weapons reached over 8,000. Additionally, according to official statistics, 130 people were martyred, but unofficial statistics and our own organization’s statistics show that over 500 people were martyred.

Keep in mind that Sardasht is known as the first non-military city to fall victim to chemical weapons after World War I on a global scale; because the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not chemical, but atomic. Even during World War I, there were instances of chemical bombings in Ypres, Belgium where military forces were stationed and engaged in conflict, which can be seen in available photographs from that time. However, in Sardasht, we had no military forces and there was no such thing as war. I mention this as a preface for you to know that the people of Sardasht had no knowledge of chemical bombings and when the incident occurred, they rushed to help the injured, but due to their lack of awareness, they became more involved and victims of this tragedy.

The numbers you mentioned indicate a significant difference between official government statistics and unofficial statistics; how do you assess the reason for this?

Let me give you the answer to your question in this way: Mustard gas is a gas that creates a disabling condition for the person who is exposed to it, and as they age, this disability becomes more severe. As a result, a large number of victims have lost their lives so far. With this explanation, consider that if these individuals are recognized as chemical veterans before their death, they will be considered martyrs after their death, but those who were not recognized as veterans and have passed away, their names are not included in the statistics of martyrs.

In fact, in Sardasht, we have many individuals who are victims of chemical weapons but are not considered veterans and have not been officially recognized.

What is the main problem facing chemical victims at present? Also, in your opinion, have the legal or governmental support provided to these victims during these 29 years been adequate?

Those who are considered veterans by the Martyr Foundation and the Affairs of Sacrificers, based on the percentage determined for them, receive the facilities that should be given to them according to the law. However, some have not been identified according to the existing laws and are still referring to relevant organizations to follow up on this issue. Of course, officials have held several medical commissions so far, the last of which was about two months ago, during which 1500 people were examined and the results will probably be announced in the next one to two weeks.

As a result, the main problem is the lack of recognition of the injured as chemical veterans, and this association was formed primarily to show the oppression of these people to the world and relevant organizations. If I were to describe the problems and conditions of these injured individuals to you, it would be impossible; but for example, just consider that many of these individuals cannot even lie down at night and are forced to sleep sitting up. When the slightest change in weather occurs, these individuals develop respiratory infections and breathing problems. The smallest illness or virus that enters the city becomes an epidemic and affects most people. Those with severe respiratory, skin, and eye problems also often develop neurological issues, and another side effect is gastrointestinal problems.

What legal issues exist in relation to identifying non-military chemical victims in Iran? Additionally, has the law “Obligation of the Government to Identify and Support Chemical Victims” passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 1388 had any impact on addressing and improving the situation of these victims or changing the process of identification and upholding their rights?

See, we had a legal vacuum regarding chemical injuries. In fact, we had no law that explicitly defended these injuries and examined the legal rights related to their affairs, and we thought that a chemical veteran was no different from other veterans. While even if, for example, a spinal cord injury veteran compared his situation – for which he could hire a nurse to do all the tasks he is unable to do – with a 70% chemical veteran, it might not be unreasonable to describe the second situation as worse; who could even imagine being in the place of a chemical injured person? Of course, if you see a chemical injured person, you might think they are completely healthy on the surface: just today, we had a meeting with a chemical veteran who appeared completely healthy. But when I paid attention and heard the wheezing in his chest, when I saw that he was coughing but couldn’t get it out in public and straighten his chest, when I felt that he couldn’t walk

Our belief is that chemical veterans should have their own special position and we have made great efforts to fill this legal void. Of course, it is worth mentioning the efforts of Mr. Partovi, the representative of Sardasht and Piranshahr in the eighth parliament, who worked tirelessly and implemented the association’s proposal to finally force the government to identify and support chemical victims. Although this law is not exactly what we had in mind, it is still a good law in its own right. However, the issue is that unfortunately it has not been implemented as it should and the necessary conditions for its implementation must be provided. This is because the implementation of any law requires time and specific resources. The problem is that the medical commission’s work is specialized and no one else can interfere in this matter. The determination of the diagnosis is based on medical standards and individuals are assessed through examination and evaluation. These standards have not changed and unfortunately, after 29 years of experience, we have not had

Despite everything, in my opinion, this event has global dimensions and the financial burden and problems should not only fall on one country’s shoulders. The global community must make a decision for the victims of chemical weapons because these individuals have become victims of an inhumane crime. This issue has a high legal status and is not something exclusive to one country or nation, and the global community must see these victims as their own victims. We not only lack empathy; we have Halabja, Zardeh, Alut-e Baneh, Nujmara-e Marivan, and many other places that have been bombed with chemical weapons, and even recently this tragedy has happened again in Syria. The global community must have a mandatory rule that those who violate international laws and go beyond a legal rule must be held accountable, which also requires the determination of powerful global organizations such as the Security Council.

The issue of people’s complaint from the Baniyan of this chemical bombing was raised. If possible, could you explain a little about this complaint and what stage it is currently in?

The complaint was related to Frans van Anraat, which we brought up at the same time as the complaint of the people of Halabja against him. In fact, the people of Sardasht were involved in the dispute on behalf of the association and good investigations were conducted in this regard. It is worth mentioning here, as a survivor of chemical weapons, I express my utmost gratitude to Mr. Teven, the prosecutor in this case, for pursuing this legal case in a very good and accurate manner. At that time, he brought a high-level judicial delegation to Iran and during his visit to Sardasht, he had good interviews and interrogations with the people of this city as well as the victims of other cities. Finally, fortunately, Frans van Anraat, as the first person who played a very influential role in the acquisition of chemical weapons by the Ba’ath regime in Iraq, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in the court of The

It must be said that it is true that such a case may not have any material benefit for the people, but it has a high legal value and by studying and working on it, other individuals who undoubtedly helped Mr. Franz Fanon can be identified and other cases can be reopened. However, unfortunately, neither our society has the resources nor the support to pursue this case. Therefore, we ask those who feel responsible towards humanity and have such resources to help us so that we can take action in this regard and at least prevent those involved in this crime from going unpunished. Truly, the global community must punish them and we request that action and cooperation be taken in this regard and we thank them in advance for it.

If you have a specific topic in mind, please let me know.

The point I wanted to bring up is that you should convey the voices of these victims to relevant organizations. They should know that in a corner of the earth where we live and breathe, there are people whose only wish is to have a complete breath. Believe me, a complete breath is worth all the amenities of life for them, but unfortunately they are unable to take a breath deep into their lungs and complete a full breath. Saadi says in this regard: every breath that is exhaled is a source of life, and when it comes back, it is a joy to the essence.

Human rights organizations are obligated to take action regarding the people who have been victims of chemical weapons. Those affected by this tragedy are unable to take any action to defend their rights, and even from a medical standpoint, those injured by mustard gas may only have a minimal chance of recovery and the treatment they receive is only to prevent their condition from worsening, as this disease inevitably progresses with age. Therefore, efforts must be made to make it easier for these people to endure their pain. If humans are members of one body, then the people of Sardasht are also part of this human body; people who have lived under indescribable conditions for 29 years. The key and important point here is that we did not have a military force in this city, and there was no such thing as war in Sardasht. Our only crime was that we were border residents and did not leave our homes and villages. As a result, we believe that Sardasht was a victim

“We, as the people of Sardasht, in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), had the slogan “Sardasht, the city of peace” and representatives from around 140 countries wrote the word “peace” in their own language on the plaque that we placed on the sidelines of the conference. We said, we have been victims of chemical weapons, but our victims should become the human capital of the global community so that the world never again allows for the use of chemical bombs; let alone in wars. The use of chemical weapons is the worst form of warfare and I believe that even during barbarism, humans did not have such savage behavior towards each other to use such methods against one another.”

At the end, I am grateful to you for paying attention to this matter.

We are infinitely grateful to you for the opportunity to have a conversation about peace.