PUBLICATIONS

 

Policy Briefing: Internet Freedom Stymied by Iranians’ Lack of Access to Tech Products

April 22, 2021

Iranians are largely unable to purchase or use international tech products, due to tech companies’ overcompliance with US sanctions that are vague and outdated. As a result, they use Iranian products that allow the government to block content and eavesdrop at will. This policy briefing provides recommendations for actions the US government and technology companies could take—without lifting any sanctions—that would provide much needed support for safe online communication and freedom of expression in Iran.

Beautiful Holiday Gift: A Book of Illustrations and Essays on Human Rights

December 9, 2020

The book, published by the Center for Human Rights in Iran, highlights the days set aside by the international community for reflection and action on rights that are fundamental to the human condition—and the struggle for these rights in Iran. Days to Remember is not only a special holiday gift for those on your list who believe in the imperative of supporting human rights, purchase of the book will also support the vital work of the Center to protect and promote human rights in Iran. Each illustration is accompanied by a short essay which reflects upon the relevance of these international days to Iran. They are a source of information and insight, examining such issues as child marriage, literacy, violence against women, religious freedom, poverty, refugees, political prisoners and environmental degradation. In a deep sense, Days to Remember is a call to action, illustrating the distance between the rights championed by these international days and the current reality in Iran. The book includes a special foreword by the distinguished scholar and women’s rights activist Dr. Nina Ansary, on “A New Approach to Envisioning Human Rights.”

Iran: People With Disabilities Face Discrimination and Abuse

June 26, 2018

Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran conducted in-depth interviews with 58 women and men with various disabilities, as well as with disability rights advocates and specialists across Iran. The World Health Organization and World Bank estimate that 15 percent of the world’s population has some kind of disability. For Iran, with a population of over 80 million, this means approximately 12 million people have some kind of a disability. The government has not collected disaggregated data on the number of people with disabilities, including during the 2016 national census. Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran found serious problems in the work of Iran’s State Welfare Organization, the main agency tasked with providing services to people with disabilities. People interviewed said that government social workers insulted and humiliated them and did not provide essential information about services and equipment. They said that the agency’s services and equipment provided for assistance are often of low quality, do not address people’s needs, and can only be obtained through lengthy and complex procedures.

Iran Telegram Ban Strangles Country Amid Struggling Economy, Protests

June 19, 2018

This report examines the Iranian Judiciary's ban on the Telegram messaging app, which as of 2018 was integrated into all aspects of daily life in Iran and had some 40 million active users in the country. It assesses what it means for Iranians' digital rights, for the Rouhani government and its professed support for internet freedom, and for broader economic and social rights in Iran. The report examines the ban in the context of the state’s massive, decade-long investment in the country’s national internet infrastructure, which has been designed to restrict Iranians to a digital world controlled and censored by the authorities. It incorporates interviews with dozens of Iranians across the political spectrum inside the Islamic Republic.

Rouhani’s Citizens’ Rights Charter: A Harmful Distraction

May 1, 2018

This report is essential reading for policymakers and officials charting a forward path with the Islamic Republic. It provides an in-depth review of the Citizens’ Rights Charter and analysis of the political dynamics affecting human rights in Iran. The report establishes that the charter has no ability to impact the rights situation in Iran and has done harm by distracting attention from the causes of rights abuses and the reforms needed. It is based on extensive CHRI reporting and interviews over the 2013-2018 period, in-depth analysis of state policy and detailed review of human rights cases in Iran.

Iran’s Suppression of December 2017 Unrest Marked by Brutal Violations of Law

February 19, 2018

The state crackdown that crushed the protests that erupted across Iran in late December 2017 was marked by violence and brutal disregard for the law. This CHRI briefing, based on interviews with released detainees, the families and attorneys of detainees, and journalists and human rights defenders inside Iran, provides a detailed look at the mass arrests, systematic denial of counsel, campaign of intimidation against detainees and their families, and ill treatment and deaths inside the prisons that characterized the state response to the unrest.

Iran’s 2017 Presidential Election: Implications for Human Rights

April 1, 2017

This briefing documents the growing suppression of political voices in Iran by hardliners who wish to prevent President Hassan Rouhani, from winning a second term in the May 19election. The election is taking place in a context of increasing arrests of journalists and activists, the blocking of social media platforms, and growing concerns regarding polling irregularities and the ability of the citizenry to participate in free and fair elections.