SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

As part of our sponsorship program, members of parliament, associations, trade unions, and organizations can assume sponsorships for political prisoners in Iran. Due to capacity limitations, it is currently not possible for individuals to take on sponsorships. Nevertheless, we encourage you to continue raising awareness about the fate of political prisoners in Iran via social media so that public attention does not fade. There are several organizations that publish updates on these cases, such as HRANA, Hengaw, Kurdpa, and others.

Send us an E-Mail at patenschaften@hawar.help and we will assign you a case. You will also receive a detailed briefing, including recommended actions. For organizational reasons, it is not possible to “choose” a prisoner. 

We assign the political prisoners. Priority is given to those who have received a death sentence or are facing charges that could result in a death sentence. Children under the age of 18 are also among our top priorities, as well as members of marginalized groups who are subjected to particularly severe repression. 

A political sponsorship is an important tool to generate political pressure and media attention for a specific political prisoner and to advocate for that person. Former political prisoners and their families repeatedly confirm: public attention and political pressure can help protect those imprisoned. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran systematically pressures families and prisoners not to go public. Interrogations, forced confessions, unfair trials, and convictions are meant to take place in the shadows. Political sponsorships help bring these injustices to light. At the same time, a political sponsorship is not a guarantee of release – it is an additional tool that complements the efforts of families and civil society. 

In the past, public attention has always provided a certain degree of protection for prisoners. However, this should not be seen as a guarantee. Publicity harms only the regime, not the imprisoned detainees. In the worst case, nothing changes; in the best case, advocacy leads to improved prison conditions or even releases. There are, however, moments when it is better not to seek public attention – for example, immediately after a release. We aim to maintain close cooperation with sponsors in order to regularly discuss such details and strategies. 

Political sponsors regularly write letters to the Iranian ambassador to exert pressure. They also write to the Federal Foreign Office, the Human Rights Commissioner, and other political authorities in Germany and the EU, urging them to advocate for the prisoners. Additionally, the sponsors create media attention – through regular social media posts and through traditional press and public relations work. 

This is due to the regime’s lack of transparency, the internet blockade and censorship, and the immense danger for people in Iran to speak with media and organizations abroad. 

We do not directly contact family members, as this could put the individuals at risk, unless they reach out to us directly. Sometimes, family members contact the sponsors themselves if they deem it safe and necessary. To allow family members to be “found,” we recommend always using the names of the prisoners as hashtags in social media posts. 

We do not establish contact with those who have been released, as it can be dangerous for the individuals and most remain under surveillance even after their release. Therefore, we cannot take responsibility for putting them at risk. If the individuals deem it necessary and safe, they will likely reach out to the public themselves through social media.

The regime has repeatedly ignored any deterrent and continued its executions. For the sponsors and our human rights organization, our work does not end: The Members of Parliament who have acted as sponsors for prisoners who have later been executed have established the “Justice” task force with HÁWAR.help to hold the responsible parties accountable. We want to keep the memory of the regime’s victims alive and contribute to ensuring that the families of the victims receive justice. We demand that the perpetrators be identified, named, sanctioned, and held accountable. Together with our partners in civil society in Iran and the diaspora, we research and document the names of those directly involved in the death sentences and state-sponsored killings of political prisoners. These individuals, as judges, prosecutors, security forces, intelligence or prison staff, bear personal responsibility for severe human rights violations. We know that imposing sanctions alone does not bring justice for the murdered and their families. But it is an important step: We stand firmly with the families of the victims and help ensure that the perpetrators cannot evade responsibility.