Withholding information is the lifeline of tyranny. Today, we are proud to announce the release of Hafez, IranCubator’s latest app, which is designed to protect, empower, and inform human rights defenders.
Last month, Iranian forces killed at least 25 protesters, and arrested thousands more. The authorities quickly shut down citizens’ main communication channels to block mass protests. They also wanted to prevent the news of the protests and the government’s violent crackdown of the protesters from getting out.
When we decided to build Hafez more than a year ago, we knew—because of the Iranian government’s long history of wide scale human rights violations—that sooner or later they would launch another massive crackdown on dissidents. We partnered up with the Human Right Activists News Agency (HRANA) to build technology for human rights defenders. Today, anyone with an Android phone, which is the majority of people in Iran, can download Hafez to:
- Record and securely report incidents of human rights violations;
- access an extensive digital rolodex of attorneys and their areas of expertise, so they can attain quick legal representation;
- receive the latest human rights-related reports and news without needing to use internet censorship circumvention tools; and
- access critical legal material and information.
The security of our users is our number one priority. You can review Hafez’ extensive security report, carried by the cybersecurity firm Cure53. Once a user closes the app, all the information reported, will be deleted. Furthermore, thanks to the donations you made in January, HRANA will hold a series of security training sessions for advocates interested in documenting human rights violations.
While defying government repression is never risk free, Hafez is designed to provide human rights defenders with additional layers of protection to address their strategic needs. We hope the app can further empower Iran’s brave activists who risk their liberty and life everyday for freedom.