To the honorable, courageous, and grieving people of Iran,

The widespread and collective killing of citizens driven to desperation in pursuit of their legitimate rights—who bravely took to the streets to bring an end to an illegitimate system—constitutes an organized state crime against humanity. The direct use of live ammunition against civilians; the killing of tens of thousands; the pursuit, arrest, and detention of tens of thousands more; the assault of the wounded; the denial of medical treatment and, in some cases, their deliberate killing—these acts are nothing short of an assault on the security of the Iranian nation and a betrayal of the homeland.

The primary responsibility for these horrific conditions lies with the Leader of the Islamic Republic himself and the repressive structure of the ruling system: an autocratic order that has built its survival upon piles of corpses. This has occurred in blatant disregard of the fact that citizens’ demands—including the demand for changing the political system—are among the most fundamental and self-evident rights of the nation. No authority has the right to deprive the people of their basic right to self-determination by resorting to disgraceful labels such as “seditionist,” “rioter,” “vandal,” or “terrorist and agent of foreign powers.”

The bitter repetition of the past decades has made it unmistakably clear that the principal obstacle to saving Iran from its current catastrophe is Ali Khamenei and the system of religious despotism itself. With each passing day of its continued rule, this system spreads further death and destruction, accelerates the collapse of society, and pushes the country deeper into the abyss of ruin. For decades, Iran has been trapped in crises generated by aggressive and confrontational policies, and today, as a direct result of the persistence of this rule, the threat of war looms over the country more ominously than ever before.

At this critical historical moment—when the future of the homeland appears darker than at any other time—we consider it our duty to emphasize the necessity of justice for those who have been killed and the immediate release of all political prisoners. While we recognize that blind power does not willingly submit to change, we firmly believe that the only path to saving Iran lies in the prosecution of all those who ordered and carried out repression, and in bringing an end to the un-republican and inhumane ruling system. This must be followed by the formation of a broad national front to hold a referendum and convene a constituent assembly, enabling all Iranians—across the full spectrum of political beliefs—to determine their political future through a democratic and informed process.

We warn that any alternative will plunge the country into a devastating and self-perpetuating cycle of violence.

May the sun of freedom rise upon our people and our homeland.

8 Bahman 1404

(January 28, 2026)

Signatories:

Ghorban Behzadian-Nejad, Jafar Panahi, Amirsalar Davoudi, Vida Rabbani, Mohammad Rasoulof, Hossein Rezagh, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Abolfazl Ghadiani, Hatem Ghaderi, Abbas Sadeghi, Manzar Zarabi, Bonyad Narges, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Saeed Madani, Abdollah Momeni, Mohammad Najafi, Sedigheh Vasmaghi