Despite a quarter century passing since the end of the Iran-Iraq war, its controversies and consequences still remain. One of the most prominent consequences is the lingering effects of chemical weapons, even on civilians. According to government statistics, during the eight-year war, approximately 100,000 Iranians were killed or injured as a result of Iraq’s chemical attacks.

A matter that has always been a cause for concern in the years following the war, is the protest of some of the victims of this war regarding what is commonly referred to as neglect or lack of compassion by the government and related organizations towards them. In this regard, one can mention the gathering of a number of wounded and families of those killed in the war in the month of Shahrivar, in protest against certain provisions of the “Comprehensive Law of Martyrs” in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Additionally, a group of survivors of this war are trying to pursue their claims and seek justice by signing a legal document, and to fight for the rights of all war victims, especially those who have not yet received any benefits, as they claim.

Many people, however, believe that the government and executive organizations such as the Martyrs Foundation and the Veterans Foundation have always provided significant support for this group, and these supports have created obvious discrimination among citizens. The allocation that war veterans and families of the martyrs have received in universities during these years is an example of this. Perhaps more than anything, this scoring should be seen as a solution for the Iranian government to prevent the frustration and defeat of those who have returned to normal life after years of fighting…

In the interview we had with one of the injured veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, questions and answers were raised about the mentioned issues.

Please introduce yourself to the readers of the peace line before starting the questions.

“I am Hoshiar Soltani Far, a warrior and fighter from Khorramshahr, and also the son of a martyr who was not recognized as a martyr by the “Martyr Foundation”.”

I think you are also a veteran…

See brother! Our argument is exactly about this; these words of martyrdom and sacrifice and so on need to change. I believe that someone who goes to Dubai, is not going for the sake of God (laughs and says that I myself have also been to Dubai). Someone who goes to Dubai, is either going for tourism and trade, or to get an American visa – somewhere. In any case, they are traveling for such purposes.

Now imagine an airplane that has been hit by a missile and crashed. Whether it is considered a martyrdom is a different discussion. But in addition to the fact that the surviving families of the victims were fully covered by the Martyr Foundation, they were also given a large sum of money as compensation, for example by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and were even supported by most of the organizations and companies they were working for. However, those who lived in border cities and were mostly not military and were not killed by bullets or bombs, but suffered physical injuries, were neither considered martyrs nor veterans. While we have people who have not seen the front lines but have a veteran’s file and receive very high salaries and benefits. Our argument is not with the foundation, as we have not even mentioned its name so far, because the foundation itself is an institution that enforces the law and follows whatever the law says. The problem is that the law needs to be amended. The definitions of sacrifice,

Mr. Soltani Far, in your opinion, who are the victims of war?

We had three major groups involved in the war. One group is what we call the fighters, including the freedom fighters, veterans, and martyrs. The second group is a large group known as the war-torn, whose fate is clear. The war-torn are active in five provinces: Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, and Ilam.

The third layer are also victims of war, who are not part of the previous layers but have been affected. For example, a Tehran family whose house was not damaged by a missile strike 500 meters away, but their daughter, who is now of age, was traumatized and is still under psychiatric treatment and hospitalized, causing heavy financial burden on the family. This person is a veteran, meaning that these expenses should be covered by the foundation, but neither the family nor the foundation were aware of this and have not pursued the matter. We are advocating for the rights of individuals from these three layers who have not yet received their rights…

Mr. Soltanifar has been 33 years since the beginning and 25 years since the end of the war in Iran, a war that left countless destruction and victims. Are there any unfulfilled or unaddressed demands from the survivors and victims of the war? Are there any demands at all?

See, how can you destroy someone’s possessions, but not be accountable for it?! Simplifying a life means taking away everything from the refrigerator to the TV and carpet and even the needle and thread, with today’s expenses, is equivalent to 15 million tomans. This 15 million tomans is only the lost belongings of war victims that were never accounted for anywhere.

We have a law that allows workers to retire early due to difficult and harmful jobs, with other benefits. How is it possible to tell someone who has been through a war for ten years, homeless, hungry, and abandoned, with no job, education, insurance, or employment, after ten years, “Goodbye to you and good luck to us”?

The losses incurred by the war-stricken have been immeasurable. According to the estimates of Mr. Hashemi’s government at the time, we suffered at least 1000 billion dollars in damages from the war. These losses were never compensated by anyone, and no one even tried to demand compensation from Iraq. Meanwhile, a small country like Kuwait, which we Iranians do not even consider due to our national and ancient pride, has received 182 trillion tomans in damages from Iraq to this day. But we have not received any compensation from Iraq, and we even help them…

As you know, after the US attack on Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government, Iran waived its right to war reparations that Iraq was obligated to pay according to international laws. So, are you critical of this issue?

Not only the government, but every individual has the right to waive their own rights, but no one has the right or permission to waive the rights of others. For any reason, whether it be negligence or forgiveness, or a behind-the-scenes or upfront agreement; whatever has happened, past or present, we have the right for the government to compensate those who have been harmed. The government should demand from Iraq or provide compensation and security itself.

Mr. Soltanifar, well some of the veterans and freedmen also say that we should not pursue such rights from the authorities because we fought for Islam and the Revolution and its reward and recompense will be lost. What do you say in response to these individuals?

Anyone is allowed to turn a blind eye to their father’s inheritance; but no one is allowed to deprive their sister, brother, or mother from receiving their father’s inheritance.

In this war, as you know, there was no age limit and many people, from young to middle-aged, participated. However, after three decades, the majority of war survivors have reached old age and retired. Have any services or measures been taken for these individuals by the authorities?

Unfortunately, no, we are also exactly pursuing the same neglected or deliberately ignored rights and privileges of war survivors.

The Islamic Consultative Assembly passed the Comprehensive Law on Services to Veterans in 2005 and communicated it to the government at the time. Despite the passage of such a law, we recently witnessed a veteran self-immolating in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. What is the reason for such incidents despite the existence of supportive laws? Have these laws been implemented at all?

There are two problems: one is that these laws are apparently not meant to solve any problems. Because if a law is meant to solve a problem, its duty is completely clear. The law tells you not to cross the red light and there are no exceptions for you, and it doesn’t even say that if you are sick, you can cross the red light. So there are no exceptions. Therefore, if the law wants to solve a problem, its duty is very clear. But these laws that have been passed regarding sacrifices have a first problem that is inherent in them, meaning that contrary to the comprehensive name that is also given to some of them, they have no unity and are not universal, and it is not clear who has set them; and secondly, they are not implemented. Meaning that even the minimum requirements that are predicted and considered in the law are not implemented.

When laws are being drafted or approved for workers, they have advisory councils that consult with them and have some worker representatives as members in their commissions. However, for martyrs, decisions are made and laws are drafted and approved for them without their knowledge. Our argument is that even laws related to martyrs should be drafted by the martyrs themselves, meaning they should have a say and be involved in the process of approval and drafting.

Now that you mentioned NGO, please tell me if there have been any people-based organizations formed in recent years to pursue the rights of war survivors and disabled individuals? If so, have these organizations had any impact on helping the victims of war with their demands?

See, we have an organization called “Defense of Chemical Injuries in Sardasht”. It is a very large and active organization that has worked hard and made efforts, and many people in Sardasht are covered by this organization. But if I, who was myself a chemical victim in Operation Nasr 7, in Sardasht, go there, they don’t even respond to my greeting because in their eyes, I am just a “Sardashti”! This is a problem for all NGOs. It means that the problem from the beginning has been that it was an island, indigenous, limited, or tribal, and because of this, none of them were able to have the impact and influence they should have; and therefore, the results, or in other words, the track record or outcome of people’s organizations in the field of sacrifice, is not desirable or satisfactory.

The majority of Iranian society considers the services provided to war veterans to be better than those provided to other disabled individuals, due to the existence of powerful and wealthy organizations such as the “Martyrs Foundation and Veterans Affairs”. Is this perception and comparison incorrect, given the benefits that have been given to the families of martyrs and veterans over the years?

If we consider the pain caused by shrapnel and bullets to be equal to the pain caused by car accidents, this analogy is correct. However, our argument is not just about physical injuries, but about the lasting effects. The lasting effects caused by improper nutrition, psychological and emotional pressures, and many other factors that are not visible to the average person. People see a severed hand, a severed foot, a blind eye; but they do not know the hidden lasting effects behind these eyes, hands, and feet that cannot be compensated for with a single payment, like a car accident victim.

What has been the reason for the weakness, silence, or scattered protests of this segment of society, which is not small in number, in recent years? Did they even have the opportunity to benefit from the media capacities available in society?

This society is a very large society. Estimates show that we are close to 5 million people, meaning if we count the war victims, injured, and those involved in various units of the army, Sepah, Basij, emergency workers, jihadis, and Red Crescent or other institutions that were involved; it would amount to around 5 million people. Of course, the responsible institutions, such as the Martyr Foundation, the Ministry of Interior, the Presidency, the Foundation for the Preservation of Monuments, or other institutions and departments, do not provide us with accurate statistics, which is also one of our major problems; but estimates, guesses, and rough calculations that have been made so far, show that this population is over 5 million people…

During the war, those who were caught in the war (meaning they were affected by the war), were looking for a piece of bread to eat or a shelter to make and save themselves from death. Even the soldiers who were involved in the war and were injured, had their own special struggles and did not pursue them. After the war, during the reconstruction period – known as the period of building – these individuals still had their own conflicts and struggles, and then the situation took two forms: either they were too ashamed or their inner shame did not allow them to pursue, or the issue was almost forgotten, meaning the oven was cold and no one thought it was possible to bring them back to life. While the truth is always in its place and alive. The truth is attainable…

With the arrival of the new government in Iran, known as the “Government of Prudence and Hope,” is there hope for achieving basic rights for this segment of society?

We hope that Mr. Rouhani will come up with a plan to ensure that these survivors receive their rights and entitlements. The conditions and atmosphere are prepared, and he himself has officially announced his readiness to respond to the demands of the people. In such circumstances, the survivors of the war are definitely a priority, and more urgency must be applied in addressing their demands.

On September 5th, a gathering was formed in front of the parliament in protest against some articles of the “Comprehensive Law of Sacrificers”. Can you explain what the demands of the protesters were?

I am not fully aware of the situation, but I have heard from the media that the parliament is in the process of passing a law that would cut the employment rights of disabled veterans who are currently employed. The parliament is pushing for these veterans, who are currently working and receiving a salary, and in addition, the foundation also provides them with a legal salary – which apparently is equivalent to the annual minimum wage – to have their second salary cut based on this law. This is a great injustice. Someone who has lost one hand may be able to work in an office and receive a salary, but if their salary is low, can they go on a trip like you and me in the afternoons? Definitely not. So there must be these rights in place so that they do not fall into bankruptcy, destruction, and poverty.

The Martyrs Foundation and Veterans Affairs has announced on its official website that it provides services such as livelihood, health, and medical services to the injured. In your opinion, are there any other services that should be considered for war victims?

The same services that you have listed, are not even being implemented or executed, let alone other laws and services! We are also exactly looking to provide a comprehensive list and follow up on it. So far, because there has not been a strong private sector or people’s institution to monitor, anything can happen there. Now we want to move away from this state of inactivity. Instead of sitting and waiting for decisions to be made for us, or for someone to do something for us or take our hand, we want to take the initiative and tell the responsible authorities what they should and should not do.

The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs has provided a series of definitions for martyrs, veterans, and those who have sacrificed their lives, and based on these definitions, it identifies and provides services to war victims. In your initial remarks, you rejected these definitions and stated that they need to be reviewed. If this review were to take place, who would your definition include?

The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs has defined a series of terms such as martyrs, veterans, and those who have sacrificed their lives, and based on these definitions, it identifies and provides services to war victims. In your initial remarks, you rejected these definitions and stated that they need to be reviewed. If this review were to take place, who would your definition include?

In our opinion, anyone who has served in war is a martyr; including Ms. “Kobra Efshari” who was martyred. You must be aware that she spent 25 years trying to prove that she was a chemical veteran, but the foundation did not accept it. Well, she washed the soldiers’ clothes and dishes behind the front lines during the war, didn’t she sacrifice herself!? Couldn’t this person live and enjoy life and other activities like other women in her city? But according to the foundation’s rules, a martyr is only someone who has been shot or injured. We want to change all these rules and redefine martyrdom from the perspective of the surviving war community.

Thank you for giving your time to the peace line.