The Court of History is a legal and human rights docudrama designed as an educational project. It explores one of the fundamental questions facing Iran after a political transition: How should a society emerging from a repressive system confront its violent past?

The film reconstructs a hypothetical trial set in the future, after the Islamic Republic, and follows the prosecution of a former Islamic Republic judge under principles of fair trial and internationally recognized standards of international law. According to available accounts and documentation, the judge was involved in the detention and torture of individuals and in issuing numerous death sentences.

The film takes the audience beyond the trial of one individual and raises a broader question: How can justice be pursued in a society moving from authoritarian rule toward democracy?

The Court of History presents transitional justice not as an abstract concept, but through a concrete judicial scenario. It explores how a responsible approach to the past, truth documentation, accountability for human rights violations, and respect for the rights of defendants can help break the cycle of violence and contribute to building independent and accountable judicial institutions.

From an Idea to a Film

The original idea for The Court of History emerged during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, at a time when widespread repression, arrests, and unfair sentences once again made justice and accountability central concerns in Iranian society.

The idea of creating a hypothetical court was developed to demonstrate that fair trial principles can apply even in cases involving the most serious crimes. It eventually evolved into the script and production of this legal docudrama.

The film creates a space to explore questions about the line between justice and revenge, individual and collective responsibility, punishment and forgiveness, and truth and historical memory.

The Court of History does not seek to provide a definitive answer. Instead, it places the audience in the position of judgment and invites them to consider the principles and institutions that can help move a society away from cycles of revenge and violence toward the rule of law, justice, and democracy.

Why The Court of History?

Watching the film offers an opportunity to:

• Learn about the concepts and mechanisms of transitional justice
• Reflect on how a society can confront its violent past
• Examine the principles of fair trial and the rule of law in practice
• Explore the boundary between seeking justice and seeking revenge
• Consider the role of accountability and justice in the process of building democracy
• Ask how a society can remain committed to the rights of victims while preventing the cycle of violence from being repeated

From this perspective, The Court of History is more than a hypothetical courtroom drama. It is an attempt to imagine judicial institutions and accountability mechanisms in Iran after the Islamic Republic, and to contribute to a broader conversation about Iran’s democratic future.

The project is part of broader civil society efforts to strengthen a culture of accountability, collective memory, and dialogue around truth, justice, and guarantees of non-recurrence of human rights violations.

Key Contributors

Director: Jamshid Barzegar
Writers: Jamshid Barzegar and Saeid Dehghan
Legal Production and Collaboration: Parsi Law Collective and Center for Human Rights in Iran
Project Advisor: Hadi Ghaemi

The project was developed with the participation and consultation of lawyers, human rights defenders, civil society activists, artists, and victims and families seeking justice, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Soheil Parsa, Shahram Tabe, Giti Pourfazel, Sholeh Pakravan, Gohar Eshghi, Sharmin Meymandinejad, Fariba Balouch, Karen Kramer, and Michael Eisner, as well as the Yek Kalameh Lawyers Network and Yek Kalameh Activists Network.

Watch the Film

Watch The Court of History and join the conversation about justice, accountability, and Iran’s democratic future.

Watch The Court of History