Nobel Peace Prize Winners Protest Crackdown and Internet Shutdown in Iran

Five Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Shirin Ebadi, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman, have protested the suppression of people and internet shutdown in Iran. The Nobel Peace Prize laureates called for an end to killings, arrests, and lifting internet restrictions in Iran.

Five Nobel Peace Prize winners issued an open letter on Tuesday, December 5th (November 26th), addressing the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Union Human Rights Committee, international human rights bodies, and all countries with political and economic ties to Iran. They called on these entities to express solidarity with the Iranian people, condemn the violence of the Islamic Republic’s government against its citizens, and demand an end to censorship and restrictions on access to information.

The letter, published on the “Human Rights Defenders Center” website, was signed by Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Tawakkol Karman (Yemen), Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala), and Jody Williams (United States).

In their letter, the Nobel Peace Prize winners stated that the Islamic Republic is attempting to silence the voices of its citizens through arrests, killings, and censorship, and is using force to silence opponents, particularly women human rights defenders.

The suppression of protesters in over 100 Iranian cities has sparked international outrage. In its latest statement, Amnesty International reported the death toll at 143 people and noted that the actual number is higher. The internet has not been fully restored, and mobile phones, through which most Iranians access the internet, remain cut off after more than 10 days.

The internet shutdown was carried out by the country’s Security Council “SHAC” on the second day of protests to prevent information exchange and the transmission of protest news, images, and videos abroad. Although the internet has been partially restored in recent days as a result of international pressure and protests, millions of citizens still lack access to mobile internet and home ADSL.

The Nobel Peace Prize winners called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union Human Rights Committee, international human rights bodies, and all countries with political and economic ties to Iran to respond to recent events.

Part of the Nobel Peace Prize winners’ letter states: “As Nobel Peace Prize winners, we are deeply concerned about the suppression of recent protests in Iran, which has resulted in the detention of over thousands and the killing of over a hundred people in Iran. We condemn restrictions on freedom of expression and the suppression of protests accompanied by arbitrary arrests and killings. We urge the Iranian government to recognize the right to peaceful demonstration in accordance with Iran’s constitution and international human rights law.”

Another section of the letter emphasizes that US sanctions have impacted Iran’s ability to export oil, and the money that should be spent on poverty reduction in Iran has instead been spent on government corruption and Iran’s “proxy” conflicts in the region (Yemen, Syria, Lebanon).