Shabnam Moinipour - Human Rights, Iranian Migrants, and State Media: From Media Portrayal to Civil Reality

Following a long history of injustices emanating from global historical invasions and wars, which reached their climax in the 20th century with the two world wars, human rights were officially born and institutionalized at the global level with the founding of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. The UN charter was the first international mechanism that incorporated human rights as a concept and made the promotion and protection of those rights one of the purposes of not only individuals but also the collective obligations of states (). Since then, human rights have become an ongoing dialogue between various entities and states, which are morally and legally obligated to not only protect their citizens from human rights violations but also promote human rights principles. Even though the UN does not have enforcement powers, for most states, Iran included, keeping a good image in the international community is of utmost importance. Many individuals and organizations scrutinize human rights within Iran. However, the Iranian regime is in such gross violation of citizens rights that the promotion of human rights principles by Iran is hardly ever closely examined. The scrutiny of the promotional aspect of international human rights law is one of the gaps that this book intends to fill.

Intertwined with the above is the careful analysis of the state media in Iran. How much power the media has is unknown. Contrary to what some scholars believe, it is difficult to measure the influence and effect they have on people. However, the media, undeniably, has a force that shifts individual opinions one way or another. The Nazis were a great example of a state power using the available means of communication. They were masters of propaganda and exploited the media of the press, cinema, and especially radio to attract support and create a consensus around their regime (). The definition of propaganda employed by the Iranian regime resembles that of the Nazisarticulating a few fundamental viewpoints through prescribed clichs and repeating it so much so that the forgetful masses would engrave it in their hearts.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution rendered Iran hybrid, which means that the political system landed on the overlap between democracy and authoritarianism. This hybridity has caused both democratic and authoritarian elements to exist in the country. This hybridity, in turn, has created ambiguities in the political system, which helps the regime function within a complex and diverse society.