We, the undersigned, request sustained global pressure onto the Islamic Republic of Iran to curtail its systemic violation of human rights, which they do with seeming impunity. Among an alarming number of human right activists in Iran's jails sits Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Laureate who has devoted decades of her life to non-violent advocacy of human rights and gender equality in Iran. We demand immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi, as well as repeal of all illegal and inhumane charges and convictions against her. We are particularly concerned about Mohammadi’s health and wellbeing, as she is currently being denied an urgent medical procedure for a life-threatening heart condition. We are therefore joining other civil society and international human rights groups in calling for Narges Mohammadi’s immediate release from prison so that she can seek the essential medical care, reunite with her family, and receive the well-deserved recognition at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony on December 10th in Oslo. For the past several decades, Narges Mohammadi has been a key force of the Iranian women’s rights movement, fighting for equality, freedom, and justice in the face of repression and violence as perpetuated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her fierce dedication to plural democracy, rule of law, and non-discrimination has resulted in extensive human rights campaigns, including the One Million Signatures Campaigns for reform of discriminatory laws, to abolish the death penalty, to Stop Honor Killings, as well as for voluntary veiling in opposition to Iran’s tyrannical mandatory hijab laws. The Islamic Republic authorities have consistently feared Mohammadi's steadfast devotion to the protection of human rights, plural democracy and social justice. As a means to forcefully silence her, they have thus far arrested her 13 times, convicted her 5 times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Throughout her imprisonment, Mohammadi has been subject to extensive mental and physical torture while her right to due process, under Iran’s own laws, has been repeatedly violated. The Iranian authorities’ cruelty against Mohammadi has increased substantially in recent years. Her dire health situation, which is rapidly deteriorating as a result of the Islamic Republic regime’s intentional and blatant disregard for her health, is currently placing her life at risk. On November 15, 2023 the Judiciary prosecutor of the Islamic Republic announced that she will be denied the suggested medical procedure at the hospital unless she wears the compulsory hijab to receive the treatment. Mohammadi has however refused this condition out of solidarity with the women and girls who are risking their lives and freedoms to resist mandatory hijab in Iran. Mohammadi has defiantly declared that “I will stand for freedom and equality even with the cost of my life, and I will not rest until democracy is realized. I will resist "forced hijab" not just in words but in action, as Mahsa, Nika, Ghazaleh, Sarina, & Armita have done and paid with their lives.” In the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize award statement the Nobel Committee correctly recognized “the hundreds of thousands of people who, in the preceding year, have demonstrated against Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women,” emphasizing the importance of non-violent and women-led protests for democracy and freedom in Iran. We, the undersigned, echo this sentiment and commend the bravery of Iranian people to protest injustice and oppression in their fight for “Woman, Life, Freedom”.
KEY SIGNATURES
Homa Hoodfar
Women Rights Activist & Professor, Concordia University
Hadi Ghaemi
Executive Director, Center for Human Rights in Iran
Julie Miville-Dechêne
Senator of the Parliament of Canada
Sénatrice - Parlement du Canada
Kaveh Shahrooz
Lawyer, Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Mansoureh Shojaee
Women Rights Activist, Writer & Guest Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Ammar Maleki
Assistant Professor, Tilburg University
Daniella Sepehri
German-Iranian Activist
Daniela Jauk-Ajamie
Assistant Professor, University of Akron
Majid Pourostad
Lawyer & Founder, Nations Gate Consulting
Judith Howard
Professor Emerita, University of Washington
Freshta Karimi
Human Rughts Activist, Founder and Director of Da Qanoon Ghushtonky
Shahla Haeri
Professor of Anthropology, Boston University
Laura Carpenter
Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University
Sherazad Adib
Women Rights Activist
Susan H. Lee
President of US Women's Caucus
Reza Moridi
Former Parliamentarian and Minister of Ontario
Ratna Omidvar
Senator of the Parliament of Canada
Ali Mostashari
Chief Executive Officer, Lifenome
Ozlem Altiok
Principal Lecturer, University of North Texas
Mahdieh Golroo
Feminist, Jurnalist & Analyst
Alexandre Boulerice
Member of Parliament - Canada
Député de Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie
Cinzia Solari
Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston
Paola Rivetti
Associate Professor, Dublin City University
Humaira Rasuli
Human Rights Lawyer and Women Empowerment Activist
Faizun Zackariya
Director, Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum
Kaveh Kermanshahi
Human Rights Activist and Researcher
Arsalan Kahnemuyipour
Professor, University of Toronto
Peyman Jafari
Assistant Professor, William & Mary University
Mehrangiz Kar
Human Rights Activist, Siamak Pourzand Foundation
Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Founding Member, Iranian Justice Collective
Kylie Moore-Gilbert
Political Scientist. Author and former Iran prisoner
Sally Armstrong
Author, Journalist, and Human Rights Activist
Rezvan Moghaddam
Women Rights Activist
Elizabeth Ziff
Assistant Professor, University of Indianapolis
Nimâ Machouf
Membre de l'Association des Femmes Iraniennes de Montréal
Annie Hikido
Assistant Professor, Colby College
Myra Marx Ferree
Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Afshin Afshin Jam
Human Rights and political analyst, Canadians for Democracy in Iran
Farzaneh Milani
Professor, University of Virginia
Ava Homa
Author and Lecturer
Yasi Agah
Author and Non Profit Leader
Eve Wurtele
Professor, Iowa State University
Saeid Dehghan
Human Rights Lawyer, Director of Parsi Law Consultancy
Mona Tajali
Associate Professor, Agnes Scott College
Farid Rohani
Honorary Colonel at British Columbia Regiment
Damon Golriz
Lecturer, Hague University of Applied Sciences
Colleen Wynn
Assistant Professor, University of Indianapolis
Mariam Claren
Activist and daughter of political prisoner Nahid Taghavi, cellmate of Narges Mohammadi
Nayereh Tohidi
Professor, California State University
Hossein Raeesi
Lawyer, Professor and legal director at Carleton University
S.L Crawley
Associate Professor, University of South Florida
Ali Rahnama
Executed Director, National Assembly of Iranian Jurists
Mehrdad Babadi
Research Associate, Brown University
Michelle Quay
Visiting Lecturer of Persian at Brown University
Arialle Crabtree
Lecturer, Mississippi State University.
Laura Carpenter
Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University
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