Hengaw and HÁWAR.Help Meet with German Parliament Members to Discuss Stronger International Support for Human Rights in Iran
Hengaw; Saturday, October 19, 2024
Zhila Mostajer and Arsalan Yarahmadi, co-founders of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, participated in a special meeting with several members of the German Parliament. This meeting, hosted by Peter Heidt, a representative of Germany’s Liberal Party, in collaboration with the HÁWAR.Help Organization, focused on the human rights situation in Iran, particularly the challenges facing national/ethnic, religious, sexual, and gender minorities.
Daniela Sepehri, a representative from HÁWAR.Help, began the session by presenting a comprehensive report on the increasing number of executions and systemic violence perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent months. Following her, Mina Khani, a member of both Hengaw and HÁWAR.Help, emphasized Hengaw’s critical reports on human rights violations in Iran, stating, “Our goal is to highlight the catastrophic state of human rights during these turbulent times in the region and to ensure that these issues are not sidelined on the international stage.” She also underscored how the Islamic Republic uses accusations like collaboration with Israel to justify the persecution of Kurds.
Zhila Mostajer highlighted the systematic human rights violations in Iran, particularly the obstacles faced by human rights organizations, including the dissemination of false information by the Iranian regime. She urged the German parliamentarians to ensure that their inquiries are made through credible human rights organizations and to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for its widespread violations in international forums. Arsalan Yarahmadi specifically addressed the critical situation of national/ethnic, sexual, and gender minorities in Iran, calling on German parliament members to leverage their influence to improve conditions for Iranian refugees in Turkey and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
In another session, Hengaw’s co-founders discussed the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in domestic and international repression, exploring the necessary steps to include the IRGC on the EU and German terrorist lists with prominent members of the German Parliament, including Jürgen Hardt, Max Lucks, Clara Bünger, and Ye-One Rhie. It should be noted that these parliamentarians have been politically sponsoring several Iranian political prisoners.
Additionally, Hengaw’s representatives urged German parliamentarians to advocate for placing the IRGC on the EU’s terrorist group list and to strengthen democratic and human rights institutions in Iran. They also raised the issue of the enforced disappearance of Zhakan Baran, a Hengaw member, as an example of the repressive actions of the Islamic Republic, requesting serious follow-up on the matter.
Zhila Mostajer and Arsalan Yarahmadi, attending these meetings at the invitation of HÁWAR.Help, also held discussions with other prominent German parliamentarians and politicians, including Jürgen Hardt—foreign policy spokesperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group and political sponsor of the executed Kurdish political prisoner Aram Omari Bedriani, Max Lucks—representative of Germany’s Green Party and political sponsor of political prisoner Sepideh Qolian, Pegah Edalatian—former senior member of the Green Party, Clara Bünger—representative of The Left Party and political sponsor of executed political prisoner Mohammad Qobadlou, and Ye-One Rhie—representative of the Social Democratic Party and political sponsor of arrested rapper Toomaj Salehi. The IRGC’s role in repression and the steps needed to include the organization on the EU’s terrorist list were key topics of discussion in this session.
In a separate meeting with Düzen Tekkal, director of HÁWAR.Help and a prominent German-Yazidi journalist, Mostajer and Yarahmadi emphasized the importance of documenting accurate and transparent information on the human rights situation in Iran. Tekkal praised Hengaw’s efforts, stressing that without the cooperation of organizations like Hengaw, understanding the true state of human rights in Iran, particularly during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, would not have been possible.
These meetings are part of Hengaw’s ongoing efforts to garner international support for the fight against human rights violations in Iran and to raise public awareness about the systematic repression carried out by the Islamic Republic.
