Iran: photo exhibition opens as part of worldwide campaign to alleviate suffering

The exhibition will display contemporary works by award-winning photographers James Nachtwey, Franco Pagetti, Antonin Kratochvil, Ron Haviv and Christopher Morris, and by a number of prominent Iranian Red Crescent photographers and Iranian war photographer Abedin Mahdavi.

" The photo exhibition is a joint project with the ICRC to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino, which led to the creation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, " said Dr Abdolraouf Adibzadeh, the director-general of the Iranian Red Crescent's international affairs department. " The photos on display reveal the reality of war and its long-term consequences. "

" The 60 works on display put the spotlight on the inspirational efforts of ordinary men and women to limit human suffering and rebuild lives in the most violent corners of the world, " said Pierre Ryter, the ICRC's head of mission in Iran. " The photos of Iranian Red Crescent activities during the Iran-Iraq war illustrate the relevance of Geneva Conventions in contemporary conflict. "

Seyyed Ali-Reza Sadat-Mir, the director-general of the Iranian Red Crescent's public-relations office, welcomed the exhibition. " It displays dramatic pictures of the suffering endured by war victims and of the efforts of humanitarian agencies to relieve suffering, " he said.

The exhibition also commemorates the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Conventions, which are the cornerstone of the law of armed conflict. It is part of a worldwide campaign of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to remind everyone of their individual responsibility to alleviate human suffering.

The exhibition will run until 21 November. More such events will be held in future.