Open Letter from Iranian Human Rights Activists: ‘Do Not Appease the Iranian Regime’

Unidentified Iranian woman protesting.

In the past few weeks, some Iranian activists have vocally supported the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (China, Russia, France, United Kingdom, United States and Germany). While we deeply respect the experience and views of these men and women, it is important to hear all perspectives.

We represent another collection of Iranian activists who share the world’s hope for a better future but believe that appeasing the Iranian regime will lead to a more dangerous world.

We have spent our lives advocating for peace, justice and freedom in Iran. We represent a diverse array of Iranians who hope to warn the world of the danger of this regime regardless of how many centrifuges spin in Iran.

This deal will provide up to $150 billion windfall of cash into the bank account of our tyrants and theocrats. This money will not be spent on the Iranian people but rather to enrich a repressive regime.

Sadly, the world has not demanded real improvements in human rights. Thousands of activists continue to languish behind bars (including several Americans) and it is tragic that their release was not included in these discussions.

We are sounding the alarm bells before it is too late. Those who care about peace should help restore focus to the Iranian regime’s brutal human rights records, its support for global terror and role in destabilizing the Middle East. More pressure should be applied to the regime, not less.

One day when the Iranian people are finally free, they will hold an accounting of who stood on their side and who stood on the regime’s. It is not too late to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their continued human rights violations.

Today in Iran, political prisoners are tortured. Bloggers, journalists and teachers remain behind bars. Sexual and religious rights are trampled. Women are treated as second class citizens.

Western apologists and appeasers of Iranian theocracy do no favors to the Iranian people. They distance the likelihood of positive change and undercut the hopes of the Iranian people.

When the Iranian regime no longer fears its people, then the world will no longer have a reason to fear the Iranian regime.

Signed by:

Mahvash Alasvandi (two sons executed)
Bijan Fathi (two sons executed)
Sayeh Saeedi Sirjani (father jailed, died in custody)
Banafsheh Pourzand (father jumped to death under house arrest)
Ahmad Mostafalou (jailed, tortured, escaped execution)
Shadi Paveh (father executed) 
Borzumehr Toloui (uncle executed)
Soheila Dorostkar (brother executed, his body was never recovered)
Shabnam Assadollahi (jailed and tortured)
Afshin Afshin-Jam (jailed and tortured)
Ahmad Batebi (jailed and tortured)
Kaveh Taheri (jailed and tortured)
Marina Nemat (jailed and tortured)
Shiva Mahbobi (jailed and tortured)
Salman Sima (jailed and tortured)
Roozbeh Farahanipour (jailed and tortured)
Abbas Khorsandi (Jailed and tortured)
Abazar Nourizad (father jailed and tortured, out on bail, prohibited from leaving Iran) 
Nima Rashedan (jailed)
Alireza Kiani (jailed)
Amir Hossein Etemadi (jailed)
Siavash Safavi (jailed)
Saeed Ghasseminejad (jailed)
Behzad Mehrani (jailed)
Roya Araghi (Jailed) 
Marjan Keypour 
Sheema Kalbasi 
Majid Rafizadeh 
Youhan Najdi
Masood Masjoodi
Liuna Issagholian
Ahmad Eshghyar 
Daniel Jafari
Ashkan Monfared
Hossein Ladjevardi 
Avideh Motamen Far
Afshine Emrani
Bahram Bahramian
Sirus Malakooty
Babak Seradjeh
Shahla Abghari 
Siavash Abghari
Majid Mohammadi
Damon Golriz 
Hassan Dai
Keyvan Kaboli
Sam Yebri
Elham Yaghoubian
Shayan Arya 
Peter Kohanloo
Amir Khosrow Sheibany
Soheila Nikpour
Reza Taghizadeh 
Setareh Yavari
Mansoureh Nasserchian 
Maryam Moazenzadeh
Parviz Sayyad
Farrokh Zandi
Partow Nooriala
Alireza Saghafi
Manda Zand Ervin
Fati Mohammadi
Akhtar Ghasemi (jailed)
Maryam Namazie
Aynaz Anni Cyrus (Jailed and tortured)

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