Environmental rights
The collapse of Lake Urmia is a human rights crisis. Salt storms, failing farms and forced migration are the consequences of decisions made without the people who live there.
Lake Urmia has lost most of its surface area since the mid-1990s, according to satellite records from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Studies attribute the collapse chiefly to dam building and water diversion for agriculture, compounded by drought. Winds now lift salt and dust from the exposed lakebed across a densely populated region.
Citizens who protested peacefully to save the lake have been arrested. We document environmental harm, defend environmental defenders, and insist that the people affected have a say in decisions about their land and water.
The law is on their side
- UN General Assembly resolution 76/300 (2022) recognising the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, articles 11 and 12 (ratified by Iran in 1975)
What we document
- The drying of Lake Urmia and salt and dust storms
- Health effects of air pollution and toxic dust
- Pressure on the Arasbaran forests, a UNESCO biosphere reserve
- Arrest of environmental defenders and protesters
- Lack of transparency and public participation in water policy
What we do
- Track satellite and public data on Lake Urmia and the region's rivers
- Document the health and livelihood impacts on local communities
- Defend people detained for environmental activism
- Engage the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment
One signature, one message, one shared report can be the difference between a name that is forgotten and a person who is freed.