Source:

March 17, 2010

It has been decades that Iran and the Iranian people have been surrounded by bitter stories of human rights violations. Different governments from kings to sheiks have egotistically believed that ignoring the basic and self-evident rights of individuals can prolong their reigns. However, history has proven that continuous acts of atrocities and injustices are inevitably brought to light through the struggle and perseverance of freedom seekers.

It has been more than thirty years that human rights has been under the assault of the ruling theocracy, and the abuses have intensified in recent months, especially against human rights activists.  The Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) has received its share of terror, torture, arrests, and false charges.

Exaggerated claims that human rights activists are connected to foreign or political organizations have been repeatedly disseminated by Tehran’s prosecutor, domestic and military media, intelligence interrogators, and internet bandits. No plausible or credible evidence has been introduced to back their accusations of blatant lies.

By using so-called experts, the Ministry of Intelligence has begun to cover up the extent of human rights violations. In actuality, the baseless allegations are aimed to promote groups that otherwise have no influence in public opinion.

The Committee of Human Rights Reporters has indicated in their mission statement, in interviews, and in their official announcements that their activities are limited to human rights issues, and they are proud of their work.

The transparent work of CHRR is evidence that the committee has not been influenced by political and ideological opinions of its members or political groups and organizations. The position of the committee is the defense of the rights of all people, regardless of their political or religious opinions. The Human Rights Charter and its protocols and resolutions are the basis for the committee’s work.

The circus-like atmosphere of the official media has aimed at corrupting the truth. The official government media distorts the truth to such an extent that it is not only in contradiction with humane and social norms, but it is also in contradiction with the laws that are used to present the evidence. A (portion of) the media’s earnings comes from the taxes provided by the people.

The government is responsible for a clear assault on the privacy of individuals, condemning individuals without due process, abusing their authority to spread unfounded claims about individuals, unethical behaviour, and violating the current Islamic Republic of Iran’s laws. It is well known that it is the intelligence officers who have kept human rights activists in prisons for many months while spreading unfounded accusations against them. The media assault is an indication of the increasing pressures on activists to participate in show trials so unjust and cruel sentences can be issued to them.

The Committee of Human Rights Reporters emphasizes that it will continue its activities of reporting human rights conditions on both the national and international levels through collaborations with independent and credible international human rights organizations.

CHRR is deeply concerned about the extended illegal detention of its members Shiva Nazar Ahari, Koohyar Goodarzi, and Navid Khanjani. CHRR condemns the new wave of arrests of human rights activists and underlines the necessity of the unconditional and urgent release of all detained human rights activists.

Translation source: