Journalist and human rights activist Reza Sharifi Boukani: ‘The Kurdish diaspora plays a very important role in documenting the crimes of the Iranian regime’
Reza Sharifi Boukani is a Kurdish-Iranian journalist and human rights activist, with particular focus on executions, human rights violations, and the persecution of Kurdish activists and political prisoners in Iran. Between 2022 and 2024, Sharifi Boukani was the ICORN resident in Oslo. Today, he reflects on his continued work, his ICORN residency, and the role of the Kurdish diaspora in uncovering and documenting human rights violations.
With over 20 years of experience reporting to international media, Sharifi Boukani has worked for a variety of media outlets and human rights organisations.
Between 2005 to 2007, Sharifi Boukani led the Kurdish section of the Persian language human rights news platform HRANA, which is now closed. There, he was responsible for preparing and writing reports on the human rights situation in Iran, with special focus on the Kurdish ethnic minority. Being well-connected with other civil rights defenders providing first-hand information, including from inside Iran’s prisons, the pressure from the regime’s authorities led to the closure of HRANA’s Kurdish section.
Despite threats, Sharifi Boukani continued working as a freelance reporter and journalist for a variety of news agencies and the Iranian Kurdish Writers’ Association, until he was arrested for his work in 2010.
Following his release from prison in 2013, Sharifi Boukani continued to and report for publications within and outside of Iran. Between 2013 and 2015, he worked for the Kurdistan Press Agency as a writer and editor.
After fleeing to Turkey, Sharifi Boukani worked as freelance reporter, as well as with human rights organisations, such as the Norway-based Iran Human Rights, the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, and the Human Rights Defenders Association of Kurdistan.
Throughout his career in Iran and Turkey, Sharifi Boukani has faced censorship, harassment, threats, interrogations, torture, and detention because of his journalism and activism.
During and after his ICORN residency, Sharifi Boukani continues reporting on human rights abuses in Iran, including working on the 17th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran (2024).
Below, Sharifi Boukani shares his reflections on his continued work, his ICORN residency, and the role of the Kurdish diaspora in uncovering and documenting human rights violations.
ICORN: How did your ICORN residency in Oslo impact your work as a journalist and human rights activist?
Sharifi Boukani: 'My residency in Oslo has given me the opportunity to write freely and safely after many years of censorship, repression, and pressure. After years of imprisonment, torture, and fighting for people's lost rights - especially for human rights and human dignity - and after bearing a lot of pain and difficulties, I was finally able to pick up the pen again. I came to Norway; a country built on human rights. I feel safe here and that means a lot to me. This experience made it possible to continue my journalism and raise the voices of political prisoners and victims of human rights violations in Iran more freely and widely to the global community.'
ICORN: What challenges and opportunities have you faced in continuing your journalistic and human rights work from exile in Norway?
Sharifi Boukani: 'Exile is always associated with pain, loss, and loneliness. The distance to the home country, the lack of direct access to sources, and the psychological pressure have been some of the challenges. At the same time, exile has also given me opportunities: In Norway I can write without censorship, collaborate with free media, and be a voice for those who do not have the opportunity to speak in Iran.'
ICORN: How have you maintained or adapted your professional networks since relocating to Norway, and have you developed new collaborations that support your work on Iran?
Sharifi Boukani: 'I have continued to maintain contact with journalists, activists, and friends inside and outside Iran. In Norway, I have also been able to collaborate with human rights organisations and international media. In addition, I am, as before, a researcher on the death penalty for Iran Human Rights. Without fear or concern, I collect information about executions in Iran, and this data is published annually widely and internationally by the organization. The death penalty is an inhumane punishment that the Iranian regime uses as a tool to spread fear in society. I am one of those who fight to the end to abolish this in just and inhumane punishment.'
ICORN: What role does the Kurdish diaspora play in documenting and challenging human rights abuses in Iran today?
Sharifi Boukani: 'Today, the Kurdish diaspora plays a very important role in documenting the crimes of the Iranian regime and in raising the voices of people living under oppression in Iran. They have managed to organise themselves and, through their commitment, make the demand for justice heard in the international community. Kurds have for many years been subjected to discrimination and double oppression. Their language and culture are not recognised, and they are among the ethnic groups who suffer the highest rates of imprisonment, torture, and executions. The regime has always treated Kurds in the worst way, and the number of executions among Kurds is the highest of all. In this situation, the diaspora is a bridge between the struggle of people in Iran and the attention and support of the world community.'
