Why Iranian human rights organizations are silent as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates · Global Voices

There is a ghost haunting Iran – the threat of full-fledged war with Israelwhich evokes the fear of destruction reminiscent of Gaza and Lebanon. As tensions escalate, millions of Iranians are at risk of serious harm, directly or indirectly. But surprisingly, even though the majority of Iranian human rights and civil society organizations are based outside the country, especially in the West, due to the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression, the majority have remained silent and have not provided explanations, analysis or even made a statement. discussion about the escalating conflict.

To investigate the reasons behind this silence, Global Voices interviewed experienced human rights activists who provided insight into the complex factors at play.

Decades of work

Iranian human rights organizations in exile have been raising awareness of this issue for decades conscience on political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, documenting human rights violations and campaigning against state-sanctioned executions and discrimination against women, minorities and journalists. They have that too worked closely together with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The civil society groups still in Iran, such as the Iranian Bar Association, face enormous pressure and restrictions. The authorities of the Islamic Republic even closed the charity Imam Ali’s Popular Student Relief Society, which worked to combat poverty and help vulnerable children. Aauthorities have also jailed high-profile activists, such as the Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi who was recently admitted to hospital with serious health problems.

Mohammadi, who believes in the need for regime change in Iranrecently issued an anti-war one message: “All those responsible for war are not only condemned by the people of the lands and times they destroy, but they are forever disgraced and exiled in the annals of human history.”

Financing matters

But despite these efforts, some Iranian activists and citizens remain have expressed growing concerns about transparency and funding dependency. These criticisms suggest that some organizations abroad prioritize certain issues over others due to the influence of funding sources, creating the impression that they operate within a discriminatory framework that fluctuates depending on the funders’ agenda.

Nazila Golestan, France-based media producer and the speaker of human rights and political organization HamAva, Global Voices said this via WhatsApp “Funding sources have a major influence on organizations’ positions and often undermine their perceived neutrality.”

Having worked with human rights organizations in both Iran and France, she has noted that some groupsThe silence about the war reflects an unwillingness to alienate donors. Golestan claims That “the mission of any genuine human rights organization should include advocacy for peace and diplomacy, as conflict primarily impacts civilians.”

Matt Forouzandy, an Iranian-Canadian queer activist and interdisciplinary artist agrees. “Funding sources and associated political agendas are decisive in shaping the positions of these organizations, often resulting in actions that align with donor expectations rather than a genuine commitment to human rights,” he tells Global Voices.

Forouzandy, one of the voices of Iran’s exiled LGBTQ+ community, adds that “these trends are increasingly disappointing Iranian civil society and activists. He advocates new, grassroots-driven models to overcome current challenges and promote more effective human rights advocacy.”

Silence in the midst of an escalating conflict

The current silence of human rights organizations is especially remarkable given the humanitarian concerns. While the reason for existence of these organizations urge the Iranian state to respect the rules Universal Declaration of Human Rightsa full-scale conflict between Iran and Israel could endanger the fundamental rights of the Iranian people, including, among others, the right to life, the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to education.

This is evident in the ongoing violence in Gaza, where UNICEF reports that “it is estimated that approximately 9 in 10 of Gaza’s population is internally displaced. Half of them are children. They do not have enough access to water, food, fuel and medicine.” Allegedly Thousands of children have been killed or injured in the conflict so far.

Furthermore, the war against Lebanon also underlines the profound impact of such conflicts on the civilian population, where: according to UNICEF “the conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of children and their families.”

Risk of alienation

Kamran ashtrayartist and director of the Netherlands-based company Arseh Sevom NGO that focuses on civil society in Iran warns in an email to Global Voices that “organizations risk alienating the communities they seek to represent if they selectively address human rights abuses.”

He states that “their failure to advocate for peace could create a perception that these organizations are aligned more with external agendas than with the genuine concerns of the Iranian people. Such selectivity could damage the credibility of these groups, both within Iran and on the world stage.”

According to Ashtari“A balanced approach that condemns the Iranian regime’s internal abuses and opposes escalations that threaten civilians would uphold both independence and credibility.”

When these activists talk about funding, the risk of alienating the Iranian people, and keeping the financiers happy, what is at stake is a huge financing economy that is largely supported by the US State Department, which has dedicated millions in Iranian civil society initiatives, including approximately $30 million initially earmarked for civil society support.

This financing structure has been significantly expandedwith US State Department funding for anti-filtering (VPN) tools alone increasing from $5 million in 2019 to over $30 million in 2024.

A crucial moment

The silence haunts Iranian human rights organizations over this looming conflict and raises critical questions about their priorities, independence and future direction.

As tensions between Israel and Iran escalate, human rights organizations are facing a crucial moment that calls for reflection on whether neutrality aligns with their fundamental mission.

This crisis offers an opportunity to reevaluate their objectives and strategies, echoing a memory from a German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who fought against silence and the Nazi regime and sacrificed his life: “Silence in the face of evil is in itself bad… Not to act is to act.” How these organizations respond could ultimately determine the future of human rights advocacy for Iran and the broader region.