Dear IHRDC Valued Supporter,
2011 was a watershed year for human rights. The global community witnessed the people of the Arab world and beyond rise up against oppressive regimes to demand their rights. From the Ivory Coast to Burma, realization of human rights aspirations and the process of empowerment gained a momentum not seen since the fall of the Berlin wall.
Yet in Iran, despite the continued heroism and bravery of so many of its activists, the human rights situation remains bleak. Members of the student movement, labor unions, women’s rights activists and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran are increasingly under attack.
IHRDC’s contemporaneous documentation is now more important than ever. With more legal documents and analysis published than any other source on the web, IHRDC continues to serve as the go-to for the Iranian human rights and legal community. It is where academics and journalists come when they need careful, documented research and what policymakers refer to when they need well-sourced, credible information on human rights issues in Iran.
And while IHRDC continued its important work for Iran, 2011 proved that IHDRC’s methodology and approach reached beyond Iran’s borders. IHRDC’s Evidence Collection Guide, a simple instructional manual on how to collect evidence of human rights abuses, was used in contexts ranging from documentation efforts by Syrian opposition groups of Bashar al-Assad’s abuses to transitional justice workshops with women and children in Sri Lanka.
In the coming year, IHRDC hopes to expand its documentation programs, while spearheading a range of new initiatives focused on justice and reconciliation in Iran and the diaspora community.
IHRDC can continue to serve as your trusted resource on all things Iran human rights. But it cannot do so without your critical support.
Please donate today in support of those who care about human rights not just in Iran, but throughout the whole world.
In Solidarity,
Gissou Nia
Executive Director
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center