Violence Against Animal Rights Activists in Tehran

Authorities have targeted animal rights activists in Iran, arresting at least 20 people and using violence against peaceful protesters voicing anger over the recent killings of stray dogs.

On Monday August 19, a group of animal rights supporters staged a rally in protest against the brutal killing of stray dogs in the Kahrizak district of Tehran and demanded that the city government answer for the massacre.

The protests were triggered by the news that dozens of dogs at Mehdi Abad animal shelter had been poisoned and killed by acid injections. It was reported that a contractor working for the municipality was responsible for the killings. According to some news sites, the Municipal Company for Regulating Industries and Jobs, which is responsible for controlling stray animals in the city, had failed to supervise the contractor.

An outcry ensued when photographs of massacred dogs were posted on social media. People decided to stage a rally and to demand answers from the municipality about the incident and about similar cases. However, Esmail Nematzadeh, Kahrizak’s mayor, denied any responsibility. “Publishing these utterly baseless reports upsets people,” he told Mehr News Agency [Persian link]. “Did they have municipality’s name and badge on their outfits? Was the name of Kahrizak Municipality on the vials?”

But Arash Hosseini Milani, a member of Tehran City Council, confirmed the massacre in Kahrizak district. “Unfortunately, the news of acid injections and the savage massacre of stray dogs in Tehran is true and the responsible party is a contractor for Tehran Municipality,” he tweeted. “We will pursue the matter to the end and the culprits of this tragedy within the municipality and its contractors will be dealt with seriously.”

A short while after the protesters gathered outside Tehran Municipality, they met with violence, and {{ __192206_videocomponent__video component__ }}">videos posted online show the police beating some demonstrators. Hosseini Milani condemned the violence and tweeted that the governor of Tehran province must take action to release the detainees.

Abtin Tabarzadi, a well-known animal rights activist, was one of the organizers of the protest rally. “This rally was the consequence of all the unpleasant things that have been done to animals in Iranian cities,” he told IranWire. “The overwhelming majority of Iranians oppose the behavior of officials responsible for dealing with animals, especially cats and dogs. People in every street and alley are now talking about this ghastly event.”

 

An Uncaring Caretaker

Tabarzadi emphasizes that the current municipality agency responsible for handling stray animals has been given this responsibility purely because of tradition, not because it is fit to do the job. “Although the main reason for yesterday’s rally was to protest against the wrongful treatment of innocent animals by the contractor and the whole municipality in general, animal rights activists’ real demand is the creation of a responsible organization consisting of people who really care — an organization that is supported by law and works under the supervision of agencies such as the Veterinary Organization of Iran or the Environmental Protection Agency,” Tabarzadi said. “As long as this task is left to the municipality, the situation will remain the same because, on one hand, the contractors think about their own profits by charging the municipality as much as they can while keeping expenses to a minimum. On the other hand, the city government does not handle this job conscientiously and with a sense of responsibility.”

He points out that the municipality follows a dual policy when it comes to handling animals in the city. “In northern Tehran and in places where people are well-off, the municipality treats the dogs well,” he said. “It provides collars and tags and sterilizes and vaccinates them. But it does nothing for the dogs in deprived areas. It sometimes even gathers dogs from one area and releases them in another area. For instance, an animal rights group in the area of Tellow says: ‘we are in a deprived area but because we take care of dogs, the municipality collects dogs from other places and releases them in our area.’ The result is that, in certain areas, the high concentration of animals makes life difficult for residents and drives some individuals to acts of violence against these innocent creatures. And, of course, sometimes it causes tragedies like the one that happened in Kahrizak — because of a failure to supervise the contractor.”

 

Unjustified Violence

So has the city government responded to animal rights supporters regarding the case? “To be honest,” Tabarzadi said, “people who had gathered there were not expecting any response because the municipality has made many promises and has not carried out most of them. But we did not expect that they would disperse the crowd using violence. The beating up of animal rights supporters was really heartbreaking. They support the right of all creatures to life. This rally was a gathering grounded on citizen’s rights and had no political purpose. Chants of ‘death to’ and ‘down with’ has no place among supporters of animal rights, and when such chants made the situation tense we did not support it. But we all know that in any gathering there might be individuals who have come there with other intentions. The violent treatment of animal rights supporters by the municipality and the police was wrong.”

More than 20 animal rights activists were arrested during Monday’s rally. “The names of the 20 have not been announced but two of our compatriots from a religious minority, Parni Baghdashar and Michele Markarian, who are well-known supporters of animal rights, are among them,” said Tabarzadi. “They made their demands in a peaceful manner and we did not expect this violence against them.”

Tabarzadi does not believe the problem of animal cruelty will go away until an agency dedicated to animals is established. 

He also argued that contradictory denials and confirmations by officials over the last couple of days is no more than a political game and that animals will be the ultimate losers.

However, among Iran’s activist community, there are some who believe that supporting animal rights diminishes the fight for civil liberties. “Sometimes they ask, why don’t we rally for more important issues?”  Tabarzadi said. “This criticism is misplaced. With our intellect and our power of perception as human beings, we must give priority to the rights of animals. You can be rest assured that somebody who does not care about the fate of animals does not care about the fate of human beings either. But those who support animals’ right to life undoubtedly care about other issues as well. The existence of animal rights supporters is the hallmark of a caring and advanced society.”

 

Related Coverage:

Slaughter of Dogs Continues in Iran, November 6, 2018

A Man of Religion — and a Lover of Dogs, November 23, 2016

Dogs, Birds and Wildlife: Grassroots Campaigns that Make a Difference in Iran, June 15, 2016

Horror at Boumehen Animal Shelter, May 24, 2016

Iran's War Against Dogs — and the Activists who Refuse to Give up, February 23, 2016

The Trials and Trepidations of Iranian Pet Lovers, July 13, 2015

“We must send a message: Killing animals is wrong”, June 9, 2015

Man is a Beast to Man: Human and Animal Rights in Iran, June 5, 2015

“It’s like losing your sister”, May 18, 2015

Survey: What do you think of the recent extermination of stray dogs in Shiraz and other cities?, April 22, 2015

"Being A Dog Is Not A Crime!", April 20, 2015

Crime: Owning a Pet, November 8, 2014

The Stray Dogs of Tabriz—and the Woman Who Saved Them, November 6, 2014