It is no secret that, after the Revolution, the civil rights of the Baha’is in Iran have been constantly violated. These violations have clearly attracted the attention of the international community and the civil society of Iran as a great portion of the reports on the violation of human rights in Iran includes those of the Baha’is’ rights. However, this focus and attention has not always been the same and has increased during various decades after the Revolution. Several factors contribute to the increased attention regarding discrimination against the Baha’i community in Iran. In this regard, Peace Mark Monthly interviewed Simin Fahandej and Dian Alai, the representatives of the Baha’i International Community in Geneva. Fahandej is the spokesperson of this international community. In this interview, the role of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) during its 10 years of activism regarding the assertion of the Baha’is’ rights was discussed.
Could we consider the empowerment of the society and civil organizations in Iran and the increased knowledge and awareness in the society as part of the reasons that have led to increased attention towards the human rights violations of Baha’i people in recent years in Iran?
Simin Fahandej: By looking back about 7 to 8 years ago or even further back, it is clear that the overall awareness about the concept of human rights has increased in Iran. In my opinion, following the incidents of 2009, Iranian people realized that it is not only certain people who are being oppressed. Indeed, even though the Islamic Republic of Iran, through propaganda in its media such as television and newspapers, has tried to draw an ugly picture for the public of certain groups (especially the Baha’is), in recent years, most people have realized that the Baha’is are innocent. In Iran, all those who think differently from the government’s standards are oppressed. Regarding this, certainly civil and human rights activism has had a great impact.
Dian Alai: Absolutely! The civil society, Iranian human rights defenders and even the public have gradually grown more aware of the violations of the Baha’is’ rights in the past three decades. Not only does this show progress in the civil society and human rights society of Iran, but it also indicates the progress of Iran’s society and people’s mindset. This is a great outcome.
There have been various influential factors in this progress, which has also led to the highlighting of human rights violations towards Baha’is. It is not possible to put your finger on one specific factor. The addressing of the Baha’is’ issues by the media, as well as the increasing number of human rights organizations and human rights activism have been some of the most influential factors. Achieving a single definition of human rights without any discrimination has been very important in the sense that if you are a human rights activist, you should not be discriminatory in your activism.
At the time of the establishment of Human Rights Activists (HRA), addressing the Baha’is’ rights was either a taboo or had serious security risks, even among the independent organizations. Having said that, do you believe that HRA has been successful in addressing assertion of the Baha’is’ rights in or, even further, in increasing the quality of their demands and society’s awareness?
Simin Fahandej: One of the most prominent features of the HRA is the fact that a group of activists in Iran decided to establish this organization because of the existence of injustice and oppression of Baha’is and other groups in Iran. In this regard, they did a lot in raising awareness, especially in the media, which is very important in two aspects. The first is to show to the world those who are being oppressed in Iran, engender sympathy for their cause and prove to them that they are not alone or forgotten. We want them to know that they are being mentioned in the media, and their rights are being defended at the UN General Assembly. By looking at the history, one could see that the villainies of the past have always accrued in silence and darkness, and by exposing them to the world and raising awareness, we are helping to improve human rights.
HRA was one of the organizations to break free of the norms and speak out to raise awareness of the groups that perhaps were not addressed before.
Dian Alai: There were various groups before HRA that were bravely raising awareness in this regard. Nevertheless, the courageous activism of HRA should not be forgotten as it is one of the organizations that helped to break this taboo.
During this time, HRA has proven that it is a responsible and dedicated organization; being concerned about Baha’is’ issues is a worthy proof of it. Indeed, in all HRA’s activism, the fact that Baha’is’ rights violations are also human right violations is clearly visible.
During the years of activism of HRA, the presence and participation of Baha’i youth has been a prominent kind of rare collaboration that was so significant the Iranian regime did not hide its discomfort about. In your opinion, what innovation and feature of this organization attracted the Baha’i youth to find it as the ground for their activism?
Dian Alai: This should be considered from both sides. I think that the Baha’i youth themselves wanted to serve their country and to be active alongside other Iranians in various fields. With this view, human rights or even women and children’s rights activism have been of importance to this group of youth, and, subsequently, being able to be active next to others in these fields. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that organizations such as HRA accepted these youths and proved that they stand by their word in practice as well, and they want to see the Baha’i youth active in the society of Iran.
Simin Fahandej: Baha’i youth, just like the rest of the youth living in Iran, are interested in serving their country and living in a country where human rights and freedom are respected. They wish to study, find jobs, start families in their country of origin; simply, they wish to live a normal life without fear of facing discriminations for expressing their beliefs. When they are deprived of these fundamental rights, naturally, they would look for a way to not only defend their own rights but defend others’ rights, too. The establishment of HRA and other similar organizations, created a field and a pavement so that those who are interested in being active in this field and in defending the rights of others could do so in an effective way.
Do you believe there is a hope that by the activism of human rights groups without any discriminations, the overall human rights discourse in Iran would benefit? That is, by bravely addressing the demands of those whose demands are taboo and addressing them comes at a cost, creating a universal discourse that benefits other oppressed groups and victims of human rights violations.
Dian Alai: There should be collaboration and participation for the progress of Iran in all areas, specifically human rights. This is fundamental and should be paid a great amount of attention. Indeed, the increase of this collaboration and participation will have a positive effect on the Iranian society. Perhaps without this solidarity, there would not be any progress.
Simin Fahandej: I believe this kind of discourse began a few years ago. At the conferences of the United Nations and the Human Rights Council that are held three times a year, they speak to Iranian civil organizations, human rights activists and even journalists. This shows that this kind of discourse has begun. What really matters now to take the next step in this direction is that organizations, groups and people who have a common love for Iran and are trying to improve the life of the people of this country try to help the progress and improvement of Iran with unity, friendship, collaboration and consultation with one another (whether inside or outside Iran).
Do you use the opportunities given to you as the representatives of the Baha’i community in the international community to represent and express the human rights violations and issues of other victim groups in Iran as well or do you merely focus on the issues and problems of the Baha’i community?
Dian Alai: No one can do any related work to human rights violations in Iran without speaking of overall human rights violations. There are various issues in Iran that need to be talked about. Of course, each group has its own specialty and can speak on specific issues since it is more informed about those specifics. Having said that, the Baha’i International Community is no exception. Of course, it speaks on the general human rights violations in Iran, for instance, the violation of religious freedom and religious minorities, but when it comes to details and individual cases, surely it can only represent and document those cases that it has full information about, meaning the issues of the Baha’i people.
Simin Fahandej: Baha’i International Community presents and speaks about the Baha’is in Iran at the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council and various assemblies. But if possible and necessary, whether at the mentioned assemblies or any other meetings, it would speak of other groups in Iran as well; because, as I have mentioned before, it is not only the Baha’is who are oppressed in Iran. Other religious minorities such as the Christian, Jewish and other political minorities are being oppressed as well. The oppression against the Baha’is has been systematically planned over the past 30 years.
We wish that one day we could see an Iran where all people and all beliefs can live in peace and harmony.
What would you like to tell the members and colleagues at HRA after 10 years of activism?
Dian Alai: In my opinion, this general and all-around awareness regarding human rights violations demonstrates the fact that we can all work together, sympathize and be concerned about the issues of those who do not hold our beliefs and religious views. This has been a key factor regarding the activities of HRA in the past decade, and as we discussed earlier, this will help the progress of Iranian society and brighten the future of this country. It should be mentioned that these activists hold no discrimination in their activism and are concerned about everybody’s issues.
Simin Fehendej: I would like to say we know that human rights activism is not easy work, and therefore we thank them. Thank you for all the efforts and raising awareness during the past 10 years, and we hope these activities will continue.
