A statement signed by more than 3,000 former presidents, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, jurists, diplomats, academics, and human rights advocates from 55 countries calls for urgent action to stop political executions and support democratic change in Iran.
More than 3,000 international figures from 55 countries, including former presidents, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, Nobel laureates, diplomats, jurists, academics, and human rights advocates, have issued a statement expressing concern over developments in Iran, calling for an immediate halt to political executions and voicing support for a democratic transition led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
The statement opens with a warning about the current situation in Iran:
“Iran stands at a historic crossroads.”
The signatories express concern over the recent wave of executions and arrests.
“We are deeply concerned by a new wave of political executions in Iran. In recent weeks, a number of prisoners have been executed for their membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran or for participating in last January’s uprising.”
They also accuse the regime’s authorities of using the recent wartime atmosphere to intensify repression.
“In addition, the regime has exploited the wartime atmosphere to completely shut down the internet and has arrested thousands of people. The aim is to prevent uprisings and to stop young people from joining resistance units.”
Referring to recent statements by judicial authorities, the signatories write:
“The head of the judiciary has called on judges to expedite their decisions and the issuance of death sentences. The world’s silence is unjustifiable. We call on the UN and its member states to take immediate action to halt these executions.”
The statement also addresses the broader political aspirations of the Iranian people.
“We commend the courageous struggle of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy.”
“As demonstrated in their nationwide uprisings, the people of Iran seek a future founded on a democratic republic. They reject both the current religious dictatorship and the authoritarian rule of the Shah. The people of Iran aspire to progress, not a return to the past.”
The signatories describe the future of Iran as a matter to be determined by Iranians themselves.
“Regime change in Iran, with its far-reaching implications for global peace and security, particularly in the Middle East, can only be achieved by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. Determining the country’s political future remains exclusively the right and responsibility of the Iranian people.”
The statement specifically welcomes the program put forward by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
“We welcome the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)‘s announcement of a provisional government tasked with organizing free elections within maximum six months to transfer sovereignty to the people and to establish a democratic republic based on Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan.”
The signatories note that the plan calls for“freedom of expression and assembly, separation of religion and state, gender equality, abolition of the death penalty, recognition of autonomy for oppressed nationalities within a united Iran, and a non-nuclear Iran.”
“It merits our full support and has already been endorsed by more than 4,000 legislators on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The statement further emphasizes that the NCRI seeks a democratic transition led by Iranians themselves.
“The NCRI, as the oldest democratic and independent coalition in Iran, has consistently affirmed that it seeks neither financial assistance nor the presence of foreign forces on Iranian soil.”
It adds that the coalition’s program is committed to“facilitating a peaceful transfer of power to the Iranian people through free and fair elections within six months of the regime’s fall.”
Concluding their appeal, the signatories endorse efforts to unite democratic forces opposed to the current government. “We also welcome the NCRI’s call for the formation of a solidarity front that brings together all political forces committed to overthrowing the regime and establishing a republic based on the separation of religion and state.”
The statement represents one of the largest international declarations on Iran in recent years, bringing together thousands of political leaders, lawmakers, legal experts, academics, and human rights advocates in a call to stop political executions and support what they describe as a democratic future determined by the Iranian people.