Ana Baquerizo, journalist, in Siria.

On the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace (DENYP) we listen to Ana Baquerizo, a former student of the Romareda School of the Augustinian Recollects in Saragossa, an activist collaborating with NGOs and institutions that promote equality and social justice and a journalist for the RTVE Corporation specialising in the Middle East.

You really know well countries such as Iran, Syria, Lebanon or Uzbekistan and, in general, the entire Middle East, where war and conflict seem to be an endemic and permanent reality. How would you define the current situation?

The situation in the entire region is very complicated. It is especially so now, but it has always been so. It is an area where many resources and many interests are concentrated in general.

The most shocking thing for me has been seeing how Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, often with Western weapons. I think this is a serious inconsistency with the values that, in theory, our democracies advocate.

But, apart from geopolitical calculations and what governments do, I like to highlight the role of ordinary people and how they see things. The vast majority just want to live in peace, it is important to say.

Iran is largely unknown in the Western world, although everyone seems to have their own opinion about this country. As a result of your stays and your reports from this country, I am sure that your experience is rich and intense.

This country is precisely a great example of what I have described in the previous question: I have seen very clearly that the Islamic Republic of Iran is one thing and the Iranian people are quite another.

The Islamic Republic is the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah; it supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen; She supported Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the now-deposed dictator…

However, the majority of ordinary people in Iran are radically against the worldview of their rulers. We see that more and more Iranians are risking their lives to challenge the regime, and doing so peacefully in the face of a highly sophisticated repressive system.

Not long ago, Parastoo Ahmadi broadcast a concert on YouTube. It is a very brave gesture because women are prohibited from giving concerts. In addition, she sang without a veil, without complying with the dress code.

She suffered reprisals, but she managed to send a powerful message of peaceful struggle against the regime of the ayatollahs and their ideology. This does represent the majority of the Iranian people.

Do you think that Westerners have too many stereotypes and prejudices about people from the Middle East?

There are certainly many, but journalists have the job of fighting against that. A few months ago I was in Syria and Lebanon for the first time. These are countries that are home to a great diversity, it is very unfair to fit everyone into the stereotype of the moment.

It is important to be informed by reliable means that do not stay on the surface of things and give enough context to understand the fundamentals in all their complexity.

We are seeing this now in Syria, where it will be interesting to see how a new system is built that, hopefully, respects and integrates all minorities, which are many. We have already told something and we will continue to tell it on the news.

Why did you want to dedicate yourself to this difficult world of international news correspondents, with so many demands and personal commitment, even in your private life?

I understand it as a way of contributing positively to society. I work as a journalist so that those who see me can understand how the world works. I often think that I hope my work is useful.

I hope that when someone clicks, they realize that there are injustices and feel the need to do something. Information is a powerful tool and, if used well, it can make citizens more aware and more human.

As a journalist I take on a lot of duties because reporting well is not easy. For me it is very important to travel, to listen to people with an open mind, to understand that there are other ways of living and that they are respectable, as long as these customs do not violate human rights.

I especially like to know the opinion of those who live oppressed in dictatorial systems. Then the journalist becomes the opportunity to do a little justice, to give voice to those who do not have one.

After having witnessed the consequences of war and violence, do you think there is any way for there to be more real peace in the world?

War is big business for a few, who profit from it without any remorse, and a very bad business for the rest.

I think there is a way to promote peace: what is needed is the duty of normal, committed people who become aware and speak out.

It is essential to have criteria and not buy into certain discourses.