No Political Change Is Possible Without Minorities

Shadi Manesh, a researcher in law and international relations, stressed the need for inclusivity in transition. Speaking at the “Governing in Transition and Safeguarding Citizens’ Rights in Iran”  conference in Oslo on 31 August 2024, she argued: “No major political change in Iran is possible without addressing the demands of vulnerable and oppressed groups. A transition that ignores them will ultimately be rejected by society.”

She noted that global experiences demonstrate how neglecting the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community has repeatedly doomed transitions to failure. A roadmap for transition, she said, must be based on principles of transitional justice, clearly identifying from the outset which laws can remain and which—because they violate human rights—must be discarded. “Fundamental rights cannot be deferred to the future or to a referendum,” she added. “They must be guaranteed from the very first moment of transition.”

One vital mechanism, Manesh suggested, would be the creation of a transitional justice community—a diverse body of jurists, social and economic experts, victims and their families, encompassing all those affected by injustice. Such a forum could translate theories of transitional justice into practice and serve as the nucleus for designing a fairer future.

She warned, however, that no shared or consensual document has yet emerged among Iran’s political and civic groups, a sign that the opposition remains fragmented and isolated. “If inclusivity is not built into transitional plans from the outset,” she concluded, “the risk of reproducing discrimination and failing at political change will remain ever-present.”