The Court of History Film Broadcast to Millions in Iran, Envisioning Justice and Accountability in a Future Iran
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) is proud to announce the international broadcast of The Court of History, a gripping new docudrama that examines how those responsible for decades of human rights crimes in Iran could ultimately be held accountable. The television version was broadcast via satellite on Thursday, August 20, 2026, reaching millions of viewers across Iran and sparking critical discussion about transitional justice.
Click here to watch the full version of the film with English subtitles on the CHRI YouTube channel.
“The Court of History asks a question that Iran cannot avoid: What will justice look like when the era of impunity ends?” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI’s executive director. “Accountability must never be confused with revenge. A democratic Iran will need truth, fair trials, and the rule of law to confront the crimes of the past and give victims their rightful place in history.”
Set in a fictional court in a future, post-Islamic Republic Iran, The Court of History imagines a society confronting those who exercised power during the Islamic Republic and examining their responsibility for human rights violations. But the film reaches beyond the courtroom to ask broader questions: How does a society reckon with decades of repression? What does accountability mean after systemic human rights abuses? And what might justice look like in a future democratic Iran?
The film is particularly timely following the Iranian government’s violent suppression of the nationwide January 2026 protests and the subsequent escalation of arrests, prosecutions, and executions. It offers a powerful examination of the Islamic Republic’s record of human rights violations while inviting audiences to consider what justice might look like in a future democratic Iran.
At its core, The Court of History explores the principles of transitional justice, accountability, and the rule of law, while emphasizing the crucial distinction between seeking justice and seeking revenge. It asks what a future democratic Iran might need to do to uncover the truth, hold perpetrators accountable, and break the cycle of impunity—while upholding due process and fundamental rights.
The Court of History was co-produced by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) and the Parsi Law Collective (PLC), written by human rights lawyer Saeid Dehghan and Jamshid Barzegar, and directed by Jamshid Barzegar.
Click here to watch the full version of the film with English subtitles on the CHRI YouTube channel.
