Why Justice Is Political
Ladan Bazargan, a member of the “Revolutionary Council of Justice Seekers,” told the "Justice in Transition: Challenges and Solutions" conference that Iran’s justice movement is not driven by revenge, but by the pursuit of truth, accountability, and guarantees that repression and atrocities will not be repeated.
Opening her remarks, Bazargan paid tribute to the “Mothers of Khavaran” — families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s who, through their persistent presence at Khavaran cemetery, prevented the Islamic Republic from erasing history. “They became the standard-bearers of the justice movement,” she said, noting that their struggle has since been carried forward by the families of victims of the November 2019 protests and by the Justice Seekers of 2022.
She described justice seekers as a force that has challenged a culture of silence in the face of crimes. “By protesting against sham trials and extrajudicial executions, this movement has placed the legal system of the Islamic Republic itself on trial, demanding accountability under both national and international law,” Bazargan observed.
Justice in transition, she argued, is not an absolute form of justice but a process of recognition, redress and reconciliation. “It acknowledges past harm, validates the suffering of victims, compensates survivors, and helps build trust in new democratic institutions. Experience from other countries shows it is always a compromise — but a compromise aimed at national reconciliation.”
Citing South Africa, she noted that those who testified before truth commissions and revealed the facts were granted amnesty, while those who stayed silent faced prosecution. “In Iran too, anyone seeking forgiveness must first speak the truth. Only truth can heal survivors’ wounds and protect future generations,” she said.
Drawing on philosopher Mohammad-Reza Nikfar’s history of justice seeking in Iran, Bazargan argued that the country has entered a third stage: one rooted in public consciousness and popular sovereignty. “Today’s justice movement is radical; it recognizes no authority within the current regime and looks directly to the people,” she said.
She recalled that the Revolutionary Council of Justice Seekers, formally launched this year, brings together families of victims of four decades of state violence. Its aim, she said, is to establish an independent judiciary based on human rights and the separation of powers.
“Our justice is political because it demands regime change,” she said, “but we do not seek political power. We seek a system where no one is arrested or executed for dissent.”
Bazargan warned that reconciliation cannot be built on silence or amnesia. “National healing will only come through trials, truth-telling and reparations,” she said, stressing that reparations extend beyond financial aid to include memorials, museums and education.
Concluding, she urged non-violence during transition. “Forty-four years of religious misrule have ingrained the culture of retribution. Today, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be our guiding light.”
Translated from Farsi via machine translation and lightly edited for clarity.