Zamaneh Media celebrates the 4th anniversary of its dedicated petitioning platform, Daadkhast, with the launch of its new website.
Since 2019, Daadkhast has served as a beacon of hope for countless individuals from all walks of life across Iran, providing a platform for them to voice their grievances, challenges and advocate for change.
Until now, Daadkhast has hosted nearly 500 petitions, garnering over 267,000 signatures for a range of issues projecting the voices of Iran’s diverse communities.
Daadkhast continues to focus exclusively on issues in Iran, making it the only independent petitioning platform for Iran.
Its first petition collected signatures for labor rights conditions in Iran, demanding the “increasing the minimum wage for workers.” Today, the platform’s latest petition, written by Gershad, an application aimed at informing Iranian women of the latest locations of the “morality police” or “Gasht-e-Ershad,” demands for the “right to oppose hijab and choose one’s clothing.”
A petitioning platform for Iran comes with its own unique challenges. Faced with public criticism about the impact of petitions in Iran’s current political and justice system under the Islamic Republic, Daadkhast firmly believes in petitioning as a powerful democratic practice.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has often been criticized for its lack of accountability to its citizens, particularly concerning civil and human rights. Nonetheless, when citizens unite in their quest for justice, their collective voice can raise awareness, amplify grassroots pressure, and potentially influence the Iranian government’s stance in international forums through diplomatic strategies or global advocacy. Preventing even a single unjust execution is a significant accomplishment.”
Daadkhast Team
Last month, the execution sentence of Abbas Deris, a 50-year old man who was arrested in Mahshahr in the November 2019 protests was temporarily suspended. Daadkhast petitioned for Derris’ release from the early days of his case and continues to maintain close contact with Derris’ native Arab Ahwazi community. Together, they have used petitioning and online events to prevent Derris’ wrongful execution.
The petitions on Daadkhast serve as crucial documentation of human rights violations and a call for accountability in Iran. Each signature represents a voice demanding justice and change. Daadkhast has ignited conversations, exposed injustices, and inspired collective calls to action.
In their most recent community campaign, “My signature my voice,” Daadkhast spoke to activists to promote the signing of petitions as a form of resistance and collectiveness for the people of Iran.
“Petitions bring many individuals together, indicating a collective and psychological support that can foster solidarity in situations marked by injustice and oppression.” Saba Alaleh, psychologist and political psychoanalyst.


“By signing petitions, we express our opinions and votes as part of the community and public discourse. This is a right that has been deprived of people for years under non-democratic and dictatorial regimes.” Hadi Younesi, Ahwazi Organization for the Defense of Human Rights.
New Website
As part of the 4th-anniversary celebration, Daadkhast is excited to announce the launch of its new website, designed to improve user experience and make petitioning easier and more effective. Some of the new features will include:
- Language Selector: Easily toggle between one of 6 available languages (English, Kurdish, Baluchi, Turkish (Azeri), Arabic, Persian)
- Progress Bar: Updated bar to track the progress of signatures for each petition
- Petition Updates: A timeline with the latest updates for each petition
- Topical Browsing: Easier navigation through petitions
Daadkhast remains committed to prioritizing the safety and security of its users, regularly performing site updates to comply with basic European Union (GDPR) regulations.