The Right to Refuse Death

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 (First version: March 21, 2026)

People of long-suffering Iran,

We, the undersigned, express our deep concern over the devastating expansion of war.

Today, the oppressed people of Iran are trapped between two blades of a pair of scissors: on one side, internal repression, and on the other, the military assaults by the United States and Israel that began on February 28, 2026.

Reports from the past weeks of relentless bombardment point to a humanitarian catastrophe, from attacks on schools to the destruction of historical sites and critical infrastructure.

By the end of Farvardin, during the 40-day war, 3,468 people had been killed, the majority civilians, including hundreds of children. Strikes near prisons have placed the lives of thousands of political prisoners and detained protesters at risk, some of whom already face the threat of execution.

For this reason, and precisely at this moment, we must view war through the lens of human rights.

Through our deeply wounded historical awareness, we have learned that the pursuit of war has never nourished the ideals of freedom, equality, or human rights. War, from the outset, strips people of agency, and without the agency of “the people” as the central bearer of politics, speaking of freedom, equality, and human rights loses its meaning. That is why we must speak clearly, without hesitation, about the suffering that war brings.

Today, our issue is not “pacifism” as a moral dream or abstract ideal. The issue is far more fundamental: the right to refuse death. The right to life is the precondition for any political change, and any future born out of imposed death has already forfeited part of its humanity.

Accordingly, we put forward the following demands:

1. Immediate and multilateral ceasefire:

An immediate halt to all military attacks by the United States, Israel, and the Islamic Republic, to prevent further humanitarian disaster and to preserve Iran’s territorial integrity.

2. Protection of civilians and prisoners:

The immediate release of all political prisoners and a halt to executions, along with the establishment of secure humanitarian corridors under United Nations supervision.

3. Restoration of communications:

Immediate access to the global internet is necessary to ensure the flow of information and the safety of citizens.

We demand life, security, and human dignity. We call on all conscious and awakened individuals to join this independent voice for the right to live. This voice stands neither with occupation nor with repression; it stands only with the human being and the right to life and refuses to choose between its executioners.

Public Signatories

Organizations

• The Iran Circle
• Narges Foundation
• Hambood Collective
• Several Members of the French National Parliament

Individuals

• Amin Feyzpour, researcher and public education activist, The Iran Circle, Boston
• Shahla Haeri, Professor of Anthropology, Boston University
• Pouran Nazemi, human rights activist
• Sepideh Farsi, filmmaker
• Taghi Rahmani, human rights activist
• Parastou Forouhar, human rights activist
• Mojgan Ilanlou, documentary filmmaker
• Aida Hadizadeh, Member of the French National Parliament, Head of the France–Iran Friendship Group
• Afrooz Maghzi, lawyer and human rights researcher
• Siamak Namazi, citizen
• Negin Shiraghai, political activist
• Fatemeh Jamalpour, journalist
• Reza Jafarian, political activist
• Shirin Izadpanah, media activist
• Roshan Javadian, psychologist
• Amir Sayadabdi, Head of the Anthropology Department, University of Victoria
• Taliyeh Mousavi, private citizen
• Ali Orumiyei, student and teacher
• Morteza Babaei, AI director
• Leila Seifollahi, civil activist
• Mehri Mehrjou, human rights activist
• Samira Hoghoughi, human rights equality activist
• Parisa Ghasemi, filmmaker, feminist, and cultural activist
• Ali Ardalan, visual artist
• Atefeh Farahani, social worker
• Sara Abbaspour, photographer
• Saeed Taheri, university lecturer
• Mansoureh Shojaei, women’s movement activist
• Hamid Anagha
• Mehdi Estedadi Shad, writer
• Dr. Shoaleh Mostafavi, researcher in art history and archaeology
• Behamin Pourreza, republican political activist
• Nasrin Karimi, lawyer
• Barbad Golshiri, artist and activist
• Sara Tavakkoli, student
• Mahnaz Ghezelou, former political prisoner, journalist
• Maryam Alaviniya, researcher
• Saeed Tabrizi, political activist
• Pouya Pouramin, artist
• Elaheh Alikhani, citizen
• Banafsheh Jamali, women’s rights activist
• Babak Daryaei, private citizen
• Nasim Sarabandi, women’s rights activist
• Fariba Hashtroudi
• Nazanin Eftekhar, journalist and sociologist
• Leila Owrand, writer and children’s rights activist
• Amir Soltani, writer and human rights activist
• Somayeh Sabouri
• Niloufar Omidi, human rights lawyer
• Fatemeh Shams, writer, university professor, women’s rights activist
• Ramin Parham, writer (New Constitutionalism)
• Armen Davoudian, writer
• Taraneh Rousta, women’s rights activist
• Khalil Motamed, human rights activist
• Kaveh Kowsari, photographer
• Kaveh Farnam, film producer
• Farzad Khoshdast, film director
• Sima Sahebi, activist
• Shahab Malekzadeh
• Susan Karimi, feminist writer
• Parastou Dokouhaki, civil society activist
• Ahmad Khalfani, writer
• Manouchehr Doosti, cultural and social activist
• Hossein Saleh, republican
• Mahmoud Alavi, accountant
• Azar Mahloujian, writer and translator
• Mohammad Pourjam, private citizen
• Ahmad Pourmandi, republican political activist
• Soheila Mirzaei, poet
• Alireza Saberi, social sciences researcher
• Reza Bagheri, political activist, poet, writer
• Hamid Karami, citizen
• Azadeh Jafari, film critic
• Claudia Yaghoubi, writer and university professor
• Janet Afary, Professor of Women’s and Religious Studies, University of California
• Afsaneh Salari, filmmaker
• Elaheh Omidvari, pharmacist and biotechnology specialist
• Hamid Soltani, political activist
• Yasaman Fattahi, citizen
• Mahak Kashmiri Pour, psychologist
• Niayesh Arastouian, citizen
• Shamim Yousefi, artist
• Rezvan Moghaddam, women’s rights researcher and activist, spokesperson for the “Stop Honor Killings” campaign
• Kazem Kordvani, sociologist, former university professor, former member and secretary of the Iranian Writers Association
• Zhinous Taghizadeh, artist, writer, and civil activist
• Fahimeh Hajiabadi, student
• Saeed Barzegar, photographer
• Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, political activist, former Member of Parliament (Iran)
• Ali Tolouei, researcher
• Donya Ahmadi, Assistant Professor of International Relations, University of Groningen
• Houshang Khosh-Sarvar, retired professor
• Effat Mahbaz, women’s and human rights activist
• Behzad Ahmadi-Nia, journalist
• Ali Kabir-Khalili
• Behnaz Ahmadi-Nia, citizen
• Shahram Goodarzi, civil and social rights activist

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