Hivos blacklisted in Iran
Iranian citizens are no longer allowed to have contact with Hivos. In January 2010, the Iranian government added Hivos to a list of sixty subversive organisations. Allegedly, Hivos was involved in attempts by Western governments to overthrow the Iranian establishment.
‘The accusation completely lacks support,’ according to Marcel van der Heijden of the Hivos Human Rights and Democratisation programme. ‘In this sense it comes as a surprise. On the other hand, it is in line with developments in recent years. Hivos has worked together with civil society organisations in Iran since 2004. Initially this went rather well. Until the political climate turned in 2006 and anti-Western sentiments grew. Conspiracy theories snowballed, fed by the Iranian establishment and conservative media. Western governments were accused of plotting to undermine the Iranian regime. Western NGOs including Hivos were mentioned in this context.’
Little support
‘It became increasingly difficult for the progressive civil society activists in Iran’, continues Van der Heijden. ‘Those who received money from Western countries were accused of being puppets of hostile foreign agendas. All our partners discontinued their work in the course of 2007. In some cases they were forced to do so because the authorities closed down their offices and arrested staff and board members for long interrogations. Since then, we have been able to give little support to human rights activists in Iran. It depends on the political situation in the country if and when this will change.’ In response to being blacklisted in January 2010 Hivos sent a letter to the Iranian embassy in the Netherlands to explain its position and policy.
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