By Josh Weizel – Editorial Editor

On February 1, 1979, there was a major turning point in Iran’s governmental structure that greatly impacted the industrialized world. A political revolutionary, Ruhollah Khomeini, better known as the Ayatollah, returned to Iran from his exile to bring transformative change to the country. Throughout his life, Khomeini spoke out against the political leaders in Iran for what he saw as suppressing political dissidents and moving the country to a more western culture. The country of Iran was disorderly during the Iran Revolution. During the period of the Iran Revolution, there were different and divergent factions. There were more left- wing factions who preached against what they perceived as social, economic injustice and there were conservative factions preaching against what they believed was western domination of Iran.

There was also a moderate faction that believed in religion, but believed that religion should not dominate. Khomeini wanted to form a new government based on Islamic law.

“I shall appoint my own government, “he declared. “I shall slap this government (a temporary government set up after the Shah left) in the mouth,” Khomeini said “I shall determine the government with the backing of this nation because this nation accepts me.”

Khomeini said that the critical role in the new government would be limited. This was proven false as Khomeini formed a group called the Revolutionary Guard, which wanted to move Iran towards a more Islamic state.

Ultimately the Revolutionary Guard prevailed, and on March 30, 1979, the Iranian people overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming an Islamic Republic. As soon as the Islamic Republic came to power, it turned all of its efforts into pursuing its political enemies and those who were just expressing their opinions. The Islamic Republic tried thousands of Iranians for crimes against the state, many of whom were former supporters of the past regime. Ever since the Iran Revolution, Iran has continued to violate human rights by imprisoning political dissidents and suppressing the rights of journalists. Iran also suppresses the rights of those on social media who take pictures of and expose human rights violations.

There are many stories in Iran of political dissidents trying to make a difference and being oppressed just for their political beliefs. One of these dissidents is Atena Farghadani, a 29-year-old woman artist and activist who is now being held on serious charges in Iran for making a cartoon against the regime. The cartoon is in reaction to two laws that were put into place. One of the laws would restrict voluntary birth control. The other law would make stricter divorce laws which favor men in the society. Farghadani was arrested in August 2014 and was physically and sexually torture.

Farghadani was held in solitary confinement without any access to the outside world or to her family or lawyer. After two months, she was released on bail and she posted a video where she described in detail her physical tortures. One of the guards opened the cell door violently and shouted take off your clothes.

“I shouted and told them what they were doing was illegal,” she said. There was a guard who swore loudly and held her hands up since she was resisting. Farghadani said, “My right hand hit the wall and my wrist became swollen and bruised. I told them that I was on dry hunger strike and that I would file a complaint. One of them told me shut your mouth or I will hit you so hard that your mouth will be full of blood.”

Raha Bahreini, a researcher with Amnesty International’s Iran team, said, “It is shocking that a young artist and activist has found herself in the distressing  circumstances facing weeks of solitary confinement and the threat of long term imprisonment following an unfair trial simply for expressing her opinion.”

Iran’s Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “We do not jail people for their opinions.”

The problem Zarif faces in answering questions to the international community is that Farghadani, was arrested for her political beliefs. What Iran officials say is often very different from what Iran actually does.

Gharchak Prison holds mainly female prisoners. Some of the squalid conditions of the prison include a lack of air conditioning in the summer with no access to sanitized water and grossly overcrowded conditions. According to the female prisoners at Gharchak, there are many abuses at the facility. A  small sample of those difficulties include the prison’s general filth caused by a lack of adequate facilities and sanitary services, overcrowding due to the cramming of 2,000 prisoners in seven salons which alone can barely accommodate a third of the prison’s population, harsh treatment by prison guards towards inmates and the danger to inmates under 18.

Even those charged with minor crimes, or those being held who have not broken any law, are thrown in with highly dangerous criminals and virtually inedible food, and are cooped up with a lack of drinking water.

Recently, nine of the female political prisoners after their transfer to Gharchak published a letter which was addressed to the people of Iran, the clergy and the Iranian government.

“Firstly, having witnessed the present situation, verbal abuse and illicit behavior in which the prison guards engaged with the inmates we have decided to go on a hunger strike and insist that our freedom to exercise this right be respected,” the women said.

Negar Haeri, a human rights lawyer, was arrested in May 2014 for what Iran claimed was writing false information against the Iranian State. Haeri was released on bail on February 25 and spent her whole time in prison since her arrest.  On Thursday, May 19, Haeri was again arrested and she was taken to solitary confinement for interrogation and has not been heard from since.

While the United States has become more accepting of those with different sexual preferences, like gay and lesbian lifestyles, Iran has continued to violate the rights of those with different sexual preferences. The Iran Government does everything to enforce their strict laws against gays and lesbians, including raiding the homes and violating the privacy of individuals.

“Members of sexual minorities in Iran are hounded on all sides,” said Saira Lee Whiston, who is a Middle East director at the organization Human Rights Watch. “The laws are stacked against them; the state openly discriminates against them and they are vulnerable to harassment, abuse and violence because their predators feel they can target them with impunity.”

There are many cases where the state police use physical abuse and torture against those who are suspected of being gay.

Sodomy is punishable by the death penalty in Iran. This is according to the Islamic code of Sharia law. According to Humans Rights Watch, Iran is one of the only countries that allows executions for homosexuality. Other countries include Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

“Iran is not only one of the only countries that imposes the death penalty for consensual same sex relations, it also has people sitting on death row who allegedly commit sodomy as minors,” Whiston said. “Every time the Iran judiciary issues a death sentence for consensual sex, or juvenile offense, it is violating its international legal obligations.”

Another example of the everyday individuals who fear retribution for their sexual preferences in Iran is a man who would only give his name as Farzen. He, like many others, fears coming out of the shadows and exposing his identity. Farzen is now living in the United States with a Bachelors and Master’s degree.

“My traumatic experience happened when I came out to my parents, that was a big shock to them,” Farzen said. “Homosexuality is an enormous taboo in Iran and the first thing people will think about homosexuals is comparing them to pedophiles, child molesters and sex offenders.”

Farzen’s parents, and many parents like them, are very conservative and disavowed their child for his sexual orientation.

When Khomeini was in power he began developing his plans for the Islamic state. At this time he began to develop more authoritarian and dictatorial beliefs.

“Don’t listen to those who speak of democracy, they are all against Islam,” he said. “They want to take the nation away from its mission. We will break all the poison pens of nationalism, democracy and such things.”

To this day, these are still chilling words and remain significant during the current human rights crisis in Iran.

(Some information courtesy theguardian.com and hrw.org)