Statement by More Than 210 Attorneys-at-Law: We Condemn the Shooting of Protesters
January 7, 2026
We, a group of attorneys-at-law, express our solidarity with the protesting people of Iran and our respect for the responsible civic actions taken by our colleagues, including the collective protest resignation from the Bar Associations of Fars and Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad. We consider it our duty to adopt a clear and responsible position in response to the overt repression of citizens and the widespread violation of their fundamental rights.
Based on numerous documented, independent, and credible reports, military and security forces have opened fire on protesters, resulting in the killing and injury of unarmed civilians. These actions constitute grave and manifest violations of:
- the right to life,
- the right to peaceful assembly, and
- the governing principles restricting the use of lethal force,
as established under domestic law and the international legal obligations of the state. Such acts amount to serious and non-derogable crimes that cannot be ignored or excused.
The Responsibility of the Legal Profession
We emphasize that, under conditions of overt repression, the ethical, civic, and professional responsibilities of lawyers may take different forms, depending on individual circumstances, including but not limited to:
- refusing to legitimize violence;
- adhering to professional conscience and ethical standards;
- recording and documenting violations;
- utilizing available legal mechanisms at domestic and international levels.
Accordingly, We Declare:
- We unequivocally condemn the shooting of protesters and the killing and injury of citizens in the strongest possible terms, and we affirm that such acts are subject to criminal prosecution and punishment.
- We reject the legal validity of any proceedings conducted before illegal or incompetent tribunals, including Revolutionary Courts and the Special Clerical Courts.
- The legal and criminal responsibility of those who order, carry out, or make decisions leading to this repression—each according to their institutional role—is not extinguishable, nor subject to any statute of limitations.
- Pursuing legal accountability for these acts through national and international mechanisms, including documentation, legal reporting, and engagement with competent bodies, is an unavoidable necessity.
- We call upon Bar Associations and legal, professional, and guild institutions to fulfill their professional duties and not remain indifferent to the widespread violations of the rights of the Iranian people.
Final Warning
This statement constitutes a clear legal and moral warning:Evasion of responsibility is not sustainable. Violations of the right to life and the overt repression of citizens are being recorded in collective memory and will be documented before international legal forums.
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Province Number of signatures Alborz 2 Ardabil 0 Bushehr 0 Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari 0 East Azerbaijan 0 Fars 3 Gilan 1 Golestan 0 Hamadan 4 Hormozgan 0 Ilam 0 Isfahan 1 Kerman 1 Kermanshah 0 Khuzestan 0 Kohgiluyehv And Boyer Ahmad 0 Kurdistan 1 Lorestan 0 Markazi 0 Mazandaran 0 North Khorasan 0 Qazvin 0 Qom 0 Razavi Khorasan 0 Semnan 0 Sistan and Baluchestan 0 South Khorasan 0 Tehran 4 West Azerbaijan 1 Yazd 0 Zanjan 0 This petition has received 132 signatures so far. Approximately 91% of signatures come from Iran. Approximately 9% of signatures come from outside of Iran. Learn how Daadkhast generates signature maps. -
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