More than 100 Iranian civil society activists issue serious warning about the dire consequences of military conflict

In response to rising tensions between Iran and the United States, 116 human rights defenders inside and outside Iran have issued a letter warning of the “devastating” consequences of a military conflict between the two countries.

The Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, one of the organizers of the statement, said: “A military attack on Iran could lead to a rapid humanitarian crisis and would only contribute to the destabilization of a region that is already in trouble.”

The signatories of this statement are activists, lawyers, journalists, and civil and political activists living in Iran and abroad.

The text of this statement is as follows:

We, Iranian and international human rights organizations and defenders, hereby express our grave concern about the escalating tensions between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. These tensions significantly increase the risk of military confrontation and will lead to human rights catastrophes. We call on the parties, international organizations and institutions to take necessary and urgent measures to prevent this confrontation.
The impact of any military action against Iran would be devastating, as we have seen in Iran’s neighboring countries. It would likely lead to escalating humanitarian and human rights crises and would only further destabilize a region that is already struggling with multiple problems. Only peace-focused policies that prioritize the human rights and well-being of ordinary people in Iran and the region can bring meaningful, long-term benefits.

We, the signatories of this statement, have a deep understanding of the problems in Iran, including human rights challenges and corruption in some parts of the government. As human rights activists, we have dedicated our lives to promoting the rights of women and girls, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, workers, journalists, students, LGBT people, artists, and political prisoners in Iran. We have fought for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial, the socio-economic rights of the Iranian people, and an end to discrimination. We have always opposed the Iranian authorities’ abuse of power to pursue repressive policies, and it is with this same approach that we now warn of the threats posed by military conflict.

We also fear that military action against Iran would be disastrous for millions of ordinary Iranians, and could lead to violent internal conflicts, as has been seen in neighboring countries. The instability caused by war in these countries has led to confrontation and confrontation between different groups of people, and ultimately, to widespread human rights violations in these countries.

Many human rights defenders in Iran are concerned that the sweeping economic sanctions imposed by the United States have made their human rights work more difficult. Many of these activists are struggling to make ends meet in the economic crisis that Iran is currently facing. This is while their human rights work has become even more risky in an increasingly insecure environment. The threat of war has always strengthened the government’s security posture, and the security apparatus has used it as an excuse to crack down on activists.

We fear that in this situation, minority groups, which have very little space for civic activity, will face the greatest levels of repression. Many Iranian human rights defenders worry that a military conflict will give Iranian security forces the opportunity to completely suppress their civic and peaceful activities.

These concerns reflect some of the possible outcomes of a military conflict with Iran and emphasize the need to find peaceful and legal solutions to any tensions between countries.

We call on all parties to exercise restraint to prevent the potential outbreak of war. We also call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the European Union, Japan, and countries in the region that have worked to establish peace and reconciliation in the past to mediate and prevent the outbreak of war and the potential for significant human rights abuses.

Respectfully,

Kaveh Azarnoush, Senior Researcher at Small Media Organization

Amin Ahmadian, member of the Central Council of the Era of Strengthening

Niki Akhavan, Professor of Media Studies at The Catholic University of America

Leila Asadi, PhD student

Kamran Ashtari, Director of the Third Sphere Organization

Daisy Schmidt, Director of Women's Rights at the International Federation of Human Rights Societies

Zeinab Asgharpour, political activist, member of the Central Council of the Adwar Tahkim Vahdat Party.

Arefeh Eliasi, women's activist

Mehdi Aminzadeh, political activist

Mohammad Oliaei Fard, human rights lawyer

Masoud Bastani, journalist

Narges Bajgholi, Research Fellow and Assistant Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University

Fereydoun Beshr, Director of the Asal19 Organization

Rudy Bakhtiar, journalist

Emad Bahavar, political activist

Maryam Bahrman, women's rights activist

Hamed Bahravan, Director of the Movements Organization

Farangis Bayat, researcher

Amir Bayani, Head of the Middle East Department, Article 19

Shahriar Paknia, University Professor and Researcher

Azadeh Pourzand, Director of the Siamak Pourzand Foundation

Mohammad Pourabdollah, political activist

Zeinab Peygambarzadeh, gender equality activist

Nayre Tohidi, professor at California State University

Setareh Sabeti, journalist

Sepideh Jadiri, women's activist and poet, secretary and founder of the Iranian Women's Poetry Award (Khorshid)

Mehri Jafari, lawyer and human rights activist

Gisso Jahangiri, Women's Rights Defender - Director of the International Federation of Human Rights Societies

Mahdieh Javid, human rights lawyer

Aydin Hassanloo, journalist

Maryam Hosseinkhah, journalist

Mahboobeh Hosseinzadeh, women's rights activist

Mo Hosseini, Middle East Program Director, Article 19

Sirous Hosseinifar, artist

Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Director of Nonviolence for Democracy - Former Member of Parliament

Azam Khatam, researcher and university professor

Mustafa Khosravi, Communications Manager at Third Arena

Nasim Khosravi Moghadam, women's activist, writer and theater director

Farhad Davoudi, writer and translator

Majid Dori, social activist

Parastu Dokuhaki, women's rights advocate

Neelam Raina, Assistant Professor at Middlesex University

Niloufar Rajaeifar, actress

Somayeh Rashidi, women's rights advocate

Sabra Rezaei, women's rights and gender equality activist

Negar Razavi, teacher, researcher, and visiting assistant professor of anthropology at the University of William and Mary

Keyvan Rafiei, human rights activist

Simin Roozgerd, human rights activist

Hossein Raisi, lawyer and professor of human rights

Afsaneh Rigut, Director of the Middle East Department at Article 19

Mitra Zargar, sociologist and human rights advocate

Musa Saket, political and civil activist, member of the Central Council of the Eras of Strengthening Unity Organization

Legendary, film producer

Jinous Sobhani, human rights activist, women's and children's activist

Isa Saharkhiz, journalist

Nasim Sarabandi, women's rights activist

Sima Saeedi, former journalist, entrepreneur

Amir Soltani, author of the book Behesht Zahra

Maedeh Soltani, human rights activist

Aida Saadat, women's rights and human rights activist

Rad Sanjabi, human rights lawyer

Sima Shakhsari, Professor, University of Minnesota

Afshin Shahi, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Bradford

Mansoureh Shojaei, researcher and activist in the women's movement

Kevin Schumacher, human rights defender

Touraj Saberivand, social activist

Mehdis Sadeghi Pooya, gender researcher

Faraz Sanei, human rights lawyer

Parvin Zarbi, environmental, peace, women's rights activist

Bita Tahbaz, women's activist

Maziar Tataei, Attorney at Law

Susan Tahmasebi, women's rights activist and director of Femina, a non-governmental organization that advocates for women's rights

Arash Azizi, writer, researcher, and doctoral student at New York University

Leila Alikarami, human rights lawyer and women's rights advocate

Mahsa Alimardani, technology and human rights researcher, student at Oxford University, and researcher at Article 19

Roja Fazeli, University Professor

Nima Fatemi, civil/political activist, independent information security researcher, and founder of the Kendo organization

Reza Fani Yazdi, human rights activist

Alireza Firouzi, former student activist

Reza Ghazinouri, human rights activist

Hadi Ghaemi, Director of the Human Rights Campaign in Iran

Somayeh Ghodousi, social researcher

Saqi Ghahraman, LGBT Organization of Iran

Mehrangiz Kar, lawyer and women's rights activist

Parisa Kakaei, women's and children's rights activist

Hadi Kahalzadeh, Social Policy Researcher, Brandeis University-Boston

Mina Keshavarz, documentary film director and producer

Noushin Keshavarzenia, women's rights activist

Parvin Kohzadi, journalist and civil activist

Mahdieh Golroo, women's activist

Masoud Ladani, national religious activist

James Marchand, Director of Small Media

Negar Mottahed, University Professor

Firuzeh Mahmoudi, Director of the Alliance for Iran Organization

Mahtab Mahmoudi, women's activist

Sohrab Mokhtari, writer and translator

Ahmad Madadi, former member of the Teachers' Union, teacher rights activist

Maryam Mazrouei, war photographer, journalist

Sarvonaz Mostofi, artist

Laleh Mostofi, director

Mani Mostofi, Senior Human Rights Advisor at Unity for Iran

Zahra Mushtaq, journalist

Aaliyah Motabalzadeh, women's activist and journalist

Sarah Masoumi, journalist

Fari Malek Madani, women's activist

Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoeini, Member of the Sixth Parliament of Iran

Mehrnoush Mohammadian, activist

Manijeh Muezzin, journalist

Azin Mohajerin, social activist and researcher

Anna May, Director of Development and Operations, Principle 19

Roozbeh Mirabrahimi, researcher and journalist

Nahid Mirhaj, women's rights activist

Ziba Mirhosseini, researcher at the University of London

Zia Nabavi, student activist

Mojtaba Najafi, researcher

Gisou Nia, human rights lawyer

Soheila Vahdati, independent researcher

Adriana Van Hettrin, Director of Small Media

Kyra Wigard, lawyer at the Free Asia Organization

Surena Hashemi, Program Manager at Azadi Net Organization

Thomas Hughes, Director of Article 19

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign