The Iranian Struggle for Freedom: A Call for Global Solidarity

Sign the Petition

Iranians have taken to the streets in rebellion.  The vanguard are young women, but they have been joined by men and people of all ages.  With breathtaking courage and unarmed, they have kept coming, even as the regime has shot, hanged, tortured, blinded, raped, beaten, and arrested many thousands.

The spark was mandatory hijab, but the target of the uprising is the whole theocratic system.  Their slogan is Woman, Life, Freedom.  The goal they chant is “Azadi, Azadi, A-za-di,” meaning “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom.”

Their victory would mean deliverance from a regime that denies free elections, free speech, due process of law, and personal autonomy in matters as simple as the choice of clothing.

Victory would mean even more than that.  The end of the Islamic Republic’s system of misogyny would constitute a global landmark in the long march toward a world in which women are treated equally.

The triumph of freedom in Iran could renew the global tide of democratization that was so strong in the latter twentieth century but has ebbed in the face of authoritarian counterattack.

The Azadi movement addresses no demands to the regime, which it regards as fundamentally illegitimate and beyond reform.  The protestors chant “down with” it.  They want theocracy and dictatorship replaced by freedom and democracy.  They proclaim a “revolution.”

They deserve unstinting support from freedom-loving people around the world:

• Governments, civic associations, and individuals should speak loudly and often in support of the protestors and in condemnation of the regime’s repressive actions.  Legislators and others should “adopt” individual arrestees, especially those facing execution, and spotlight their plight.
• Governments should take diplomatic, economic, and symbolic measures to punish the regime and bolster the protestors. All officials involved in the repressions, from Supreme Leader Khamenei down to local Basij commanders, should be sanctioned. The Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) should be added to terrorism lists.
• High level officials of democratic governments should receive leaders of the opposition, in publicly-announced meetings.
• Accurate, reliable, fact-based reporting via international radio, television, and social media reaching Iran should be enhanced, as should assistance to private Iranian exile broadcasting.
• Technical assistance, including equipment, should be given to help the demonstrators counteract censorship and surveillance and to communicate despite the regime’s disruption of Internet service and blocking of websites.
• Labor unions, governments, and others in the international community should express solidarity with Iranian workers, should share the experiences of other labor struggles for worker rights and democracy, and should also seek ways to provide practical assistance, such as VPNs, other means of communication, and contributions to strike funds if safe and effective channels can be found.

We pledge to do all in our power to support the Iranian struggle for Azadi and call upon all people of good will everywhere to join us.

Categorized Signatories of The Iranian Struggle for Freedom: A Call for Global Solidarity

*Affiliations listed for identification purposes only

Nobel Prize Laureates:

• Svetlana Alexievich, journalist and author, 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
• H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, 1987 Nobel Peace Prize
• Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Iran, human rights defender, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
• Leymah R. Gbowee, Liberia, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
• Tawakkol Karman, Yemen, human rights activist, Journalist, Politician, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
• Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru, novelist, journalist, former politician, 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize
• Maria Ressa, Philippines, CEO of Rappler, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize
• H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
• Jody Williams, United States of America, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize

Heads of State, Government, or International Organizations:

• H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica
• H.E. Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary General
• H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi
• Rt. Hon. A. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada
• H.E. Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica
• Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Constitutional Affairs
• Rt. Hon. Stephen J. Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
• H.E. Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, former President of Costa Rica
• H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia
• Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to the United Nations and former US Representative for Afghanistan Reconstruction
• H.E. Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada
• H.E. Iveta Radicova, former Prime Minister of Slovakia
• H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, former Secretary-General of NATO, and Founder, Alliance of Democracies
• H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia
• Radosław Tomasz "Radek" Sikorski, Member of European Parliament, Poland
• Anita Vandenbeld, Member of Parliament, Canada

Organizations:

• AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees
• Alliance for Rights of All Minorities (ARAM-Iran)
• The Alliance of Democracies
• American Purpose
• Asia Democracy Network
• Association Burundaise pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues (Burundian Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Persons in Detention - APRODH)
• Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Aurat Foundation
• Australian Council of Trade Unions
• Boat People SOS
• Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Laureate, Ukraine
• Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University
• Crystal Bayat Foundation
• Cyrus Forum
• Democracy International
• Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
• Forum 2000
• Freedom House
• Henry Jackson Society
• Hong Kong Democracy Council
• Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom
• Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
• Iranian Diaspora Collective
• New York Women’s Foundation
• PEN America
• Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
• Razom for Ukraine
• Solidarity is Global
• Vital Voices Global Partnership
• WLP Brazil/CEPIA - Citizenship, Study, Research, Information, and Action
• WLP-Kazakhstan/Women's Resource Centre
• Women’s Learning Partnership
• Women Political Leaders
• World Liberty Congress
• World Movement for Democracy

Individuals listed by nationality or location (as listed by signer):

Afghanistan:

• Crystal Bayat, activist and human rights advocate
• Khaled Hosseini, author
• Fawzia Koofi, first female Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Afghanistan

Angola:

• Rafael Marques de Morais, founder of Maka Angola

Argentina:

• Laura Alonso, former head of anti-corruption office of Argentina
• Gerardo Bongiovanni, President, Fundación Libertad
• Ariel Dorfman, author
• Gabriel C. Salvia, Executive Director, CADAL

Armenia:

• Haykuhi Harutyunyan, human rights lawyer
• Gulnara Shahinian, founder of Democracy Today, former UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Australia:

• Hon. Michael Danby, former Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee in the Australian Parliament
• Jennie George, former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
• Misha Zelinsky, Fulbright Scholar, columnist at the Australian Financial Review

Austria:

• Dr. Michael Ignatieff, Professor of History, Rector Emeritus, Central European University

Azerbaijan:

• Khadija Ismayilova, journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Toplum TV
• Dr. Leyla Yunus, Chevalier of the French Legion Honor, Sakharov Prize Finalist, and Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy

Bangladesh:

• Shahidul Alam, artist

Belarus:

• Svetlana Alexievich, journalist and author, 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Ken Godfrey, Executive Director, European Partnership for Democracy
• Natalia Koliada, artist
• Nicolai Khalezin, author
• Natalia Pinchuk, wife of Nobel Laureate and prisoner of conscience Ales Bialatski
• Natallia Radzina, Editor-in-Chief of Charter97
• Amb. Andrei Sannikov, former Ambassador to Switzerland, European Belarus Foundation, Belarusian National Congress
• H.E. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Government of Belarus in exile

Belgium:

• Dr. Saeed Bashirtash, Chairman, Executive Council Solidarity for the Liberation of Iran (7 Aban Front)
• Dr. Arash Joudaki, Professor of Philosophy
• Darya Safai, Member of Belgian Parliament
• Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President, Open Dialogue Foundation

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Darko Brkan, UG Zasto ne

Bulgaria:

• Ivan Krastev, Chair, CLS Sofia

Burundi:

• Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, President, Association Burundaise pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues (Burundian Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Persons in Detention (APRODH)

Cameroon:

• Ateki Seta Caxton, Network for Solidarity, Empowerment and Transformation for All

Canada:

• Nazanin Afshin-Jam McKay, human rights activist, co-founder of Stop Child Executions
• Dr. Ali Ashtari, data scientist and political activist
• Margaret Atwood, author
• Rt. Hon. A. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada
• Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Constitutional Affairs
• Irwin Cotler, Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights
• Saeid Dehghan, human rights lawyer, World Liberty Congress
• Ron Diebert, Professor and Director, Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto
• Ali Ehsassi, Member of Parliament
• Hon. L. Yves Fortier, Cabinet Yves Fortier, former Canadian Ambassador to the UN
• Jean-Francois Gaudrault-Desbiens, law professor, University of Montreal
• Terry Glavin, journalist, National Post
• Rt. Hon. Stephen J. Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
• Rt. Hon. Claire L'Heureux-Dube, Retired Judge, Canadian Supreme Court, International Women's Judges Association
• Marcus Kolga, Senior Fellow, Macdonald Laurier Institute
• Soosan Daghighi Latham, Professor, York University, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at Jindal Global University
• Fred Litwin, author, Free Thinking Film Society
• Hon. Peter Gordon MacKay, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice, and Attorney General
• Shuvaloy Majumdar, former Director of Policy to Canada's Foreign Minister
• Hon. Ratna Omidvar, Senate of Canada
• Hon. Allan Rock, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice
• Berel Rodal, Publius Consulting Group
• Mahsa Sardary, women’s rights activist
• Kaveh Shahrooz, lawyer and Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
• Dr. Shahram Tabe, Professor, University of Toronto
• Sarah Teich, lawyer, Cyrus Forum
• Lucan Way, Professor, University of Toronto

Chile:

• Rafael Rincón-Urdaneta Zerpa, Communications Coordinator, Forum 2000

China:

• Liao Yiwu, author
• Xiao Qiang, Founder and Chief Editor, China Digital Times, University of California at Berkeley School of Information
• Dr. Jianli Yang, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China

Colombia:

• Hon. Marta Lucia Ramirez, former Vice President and Foreign Affairs Minister

Costa Rica:

• H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, 1987 Nobel Peace Prize
• Hon. Kevin Casas-Zamora, former Second Vice President of Costa Rica and Secretary-General of International IDEA
• H.E. Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica
• H.E. Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, former President of Costa Rica

Croatia:

• Vesna Pusic, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor

Cuba:

• Coco Fusco, artist
• Rosa María Payá, founder of Cuba Decide

Czech Republic:

• Marketa Gregorova, Member of European Parliament
• Jakub Klepal, Forum 2000 Foundation
• Sasha Vondra, former Minister of Defense
• Amb. Michael Zantovsky, Vaclav Havel Library

Denmark

• H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, former Secretary-General of NATO, and Founder, Alliance of Democracies

East Turkestan:

• Dolkun Isa, President, World Uyghur Congress

Egypt:

• Nasser Amin, Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary
• Bahey Eldin Hassan, Director, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
• Hisham Kassem, former Director, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
• Ahmed Naje, writer

Eritrea:

• Meron Estefanos, Director, Eritrean Initiative for Human Rights

Estonia:

• H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia

Finland:

• Alviina Alametsä, Member of European Parliament

France:

• Robert Badinter, former Minister of Justice
• Caroline Fourest, writer, filmmaker
• Nathalie Goulet, Member of French Senate
• Bassma Kodmani, freelance scholar
• Pierre Larrouturou, Member of European Parliament
• Bernard Henri Lévy, philosopher, writer
• Saeed Paivandi, Professor, University of Lorraine
• Guy Sorman, Chief Advisor, La Maison Francaise at New York University
• Nicolas Tenzer, Chairman, Centre d'Etude et de Réflexion pour l'Action politique (CERAP)

Georgia:

• Ketevan Chachava, Steering Committee Member, World Movement for Democracy
• Charles H. Fairbanks Jr., American-Georgian Initiative for Liberal Education
• Nino Evgenidze, Executive Director, EPRC
• Eka Gigauri, Executive Director, Transparency International Georgia
• Dr. Ghia Nodia, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD)
• Giorgi Muchaidze, Executive Director, Atlantic Council of Georgia
• Tinatin Khidasheli, Chairwoman, Civic IDEA
• Lisa Tsuladze, Executive Director, Center for Social Sciences; associate professor, Tbilisi State University
• Nino Zambakhidze, CEO, Unity Apolitical Academy

Germany:

• Dr. Ulrike Becker, Mideast Freedom Forum
• Andreas Bummel, Executive Director, Democracy Without Borders
• Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of European Parliament, former Chairman of German Green Party
• Dr. Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, Mayor and acting Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main
• Dr. Stephan Grigat, Professor, Center for Antisemitism and Racism Studies, Catholic University of Applied Science
• Silvana Koch-Merin, President and Founder of Women Political Leaders, and former VP of European Parliament
• Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament, Foundation of German-Polish Cooperation
• Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, Professor, Hertie School, the Governance University
• Dr. Norbert Röttgen, Member of German Bundestag
• Rebecca Schönenbach, Chairwoman, Frauen für Freiheit (Women for Freedom)
• Dr. Karin Stögner, University of Passau
• Benjamin Tallis, Research Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations

Ghana:

• E. Gyimah-Boadi, Professor

Hong Kong:

• Alex Chow, Board Member, Hong Kong Democracy Council
• Samuel Chu, President, The Campaign for Hong Kong
• Han Dongfang, Executive Director, China Labor Bulletin
• Victoria Tin-bor Hui, Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame
• Anna Kwok, Executive Director, Hong Kong Democracy Council
• Joey Siu, human rights activist

Hungary:

• Miklos Haraszti, former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Fellow at the Center for the Media, Data, and Society, Central European University
• Bálint Magyar, sociologist, Central European University Democracy Institute
• Zoltan Kesz, former Member of Parliament
• Péter Krekó, Director, Political Capital Institute
• István Rév, Professor, Central European University

India:

• Shibashis Chatterjee, Professor, Jadavpur University
• Ramin Jahanbegloo, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at Jindal Global University
• Vasanth Kannabiran, consultant, activist, National Alliance of Women
• Ajay K. Mehra, independent scholar

Indonesia:

• Marco Kusumawijaya, artist
• Siti Nurjanah, WLP Indonesia, Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia (WYDII)

Iran:

• Mahnaz Afkhami, President, Women’s Learning Partnership
• Masih Alinejad, founder of My Stealthy Freedom Campaign Against Mandatory Hijab
• Khalid Aziz, spokesman, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
• Nazanin Boniadi, actress, human rights advocate
• Dr. Roya Boroumand, Executive Director, A. Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
• Dr. Ladan Boroumand, historian and human rights activist
• Shirin Ebadi, Iran, human rights defender, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
• Golshifteh Farahani, civil rights activist, actress
• Jahanshah Javid, publisher
• Ali Karimi, civil rights activist, sportsman
• Abdullah Mohtadi, Chairman, Kamala Party of Iranian Kurdistan
• Dr. Azar Nafisi, writer
• Reza Pahlavi, advocate for a Secular Democratic Iran
• Amir Soltani, author

Ireland:

• David Byrne SC, former EU Commissioner and Attorney General of Ireland

Israel:

• Anna Geifman, Senior Researcher, Bar Ilan University
• Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute
• Dr. David Hazony, Editor, Jewish Priorities
• Benjamin Kerstein, author
• Amichai Magen, Professor, Reichman University
• Benny Morris, Professor, Ben Gurion University
• Fania Oz-Salzberger, author, Professor, University of Haifa
• Dr. Micha J. Perry, University of Haifa
• Natan Sharansky, politician, author, human rights activist
• Jonathan Spyer, Middle East Forum
• Ayelet Waldman, author

Japan:

• Maiko Ichihara, Professor, Hitotsubashi University
• Amb. Yukio Takasu, Chair, Future of Democracy Study, Japan Center for International Exchange

Kenya:

• Wanuri Kahiu, artist

Kosovo:

• Agon Maliqi, Chairman of the Board, Sbunker

Kyrgyzstan:

• Lira Asylbek, Coordinator, WLP-Bir Duino, Coalition for Equality
• Cholpon Djakupova, Legal Clinic Adilet, former Member of Parliament
• Tolekan Ismailova, Director, HRM Bir-Duino-Kyrgyzstan
• Amb. Zamira Sydykova, former Ambassador to the United States and Canada; Founder and Editor of Rees Publica

Liberia:

• Leymah R. Gbowee, Liberia, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
• Eddie D. Jarwolo, Executive Director, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development
• Anderson D. Miamen, civil society leader
• H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
• W. Lawrence Yealue II, Country Director, Accountability Lab Liberia

Lithuania:

• Audronius Azubalis, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas
• Rasa Juknevičienė, Member of European Parliament
• Marius Matijosaitis, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas
• Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas
• Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Lithuanian Seimas
• Jurgis Razma, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas

Malawi:

• H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi

Malaysia:

• Farouk Musa, Director, Islamic Renaissance Front

Mauritania:

• Aminetou Mint El Mokhtar, President, Association of Women Heads of Households

Mexico:

• Enrique Krauze, writer, Letras Libras

Montenegro:

• Dr. Srdan Darmanovic, Professor, University of Montenegro

Morocco:

• Ouafar Amadaou, Program Coordinator, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Nezha Belkachla, human rights activist
• Mokhtar Benabdallaoui, Professor, Hassan II University Casablanca
• Houda Bouzzit, Executive Director, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Nisrine Elhaskouri, Project Coordinator, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Amatarz Khadija, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Amina Lemrini, founding President, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
• Aatifa Timjerdine, activist

Myanmar/Burma:

• Wai Wai Nu, former prisoner of conscience, founder and Executive Director of the Women Peace Network, human rights activist
• Ma Thida, author
• Bart Was Not Here, artist

Netherlands:

• Touraj Atabaki, Professor, International Institute of Social History
• Tineke Strik, Member of European Parliament

Nicaragua:

• Carlos Chamoro, journalist, Confidencial

Nigeria:

• Chimamanda Adichie, author
• Joy Ngwakwe, Executive Director, Center for Advancement of Democratic Rights
• Mma Odi, Executive Director, Emma Ezeazu Center for Good Governance and Accountability
• Ayo Obe, lawyer

Peru:

• Gustavo Gorriti, Director, IDL-Reporteros
• Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru, novelist, journalist, former politician, 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature

Philippines:

• Maria Ressa, Philippines, CEO of Rappler, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

Poland:

• Adam Bodnar, Professor, SWPS University, former Polish Ombudsman
• Jacek Kucharczyk, Executive Board President, Institute of Public Affairs
• Danuta Przywara, Chairwoman of the Council, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
• Nima Rashedan, global democracy activist, Civic Cloud Ukraine
• Sławomir Sierakowski, Director, Krytyka Polityczna, Poland

Portugal:

• Joao Carlos Espada, Professor, Institute for Political Studies, UCP

Republic of the Congo:

• Andrea Ngombet, founder of Sassoufit Collective

Russia:

• Masha Alekhina, artist
• Vladimir Kara-Murza, prisoner of conscience
• Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former prisoner of conscience, founder of the Russian Anti-War Committee
• Zhanna Nemtsova, founder of Boris Nemtsov Foundation
• Andrei Piontkovsky, Senior Fellow, Institute of Modern Russia
• Anastasia Shevchenko, civil activist

Saudi Arabia:

• Yahya Assiri, co-founder and former Secretary-General of the Saudi National Assembly Party - NAAS and founder of ALQST

Senegal:

• Julie Cisse, Executive Director, GIPS/WAR/WLP
• Thiat, Y’en a Marre

Serbia:

• Sonja Biserko, President, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
• Andrej Nosov, theater director, Heartefact

Slovakia:

• Martin Butora, Honorary Chairman, Institute for Public Affairs
• Miriam Lexmann, Member of European Parliament
• H.E. Iveta Radicova, former Prime Minister of Slovakia

South Korea:

• Ha Tae Keung, Member of South Korean National Assembly
• Amb. Oh Joon, former South Korean Ambassador to the UN
• Sook Jong Lee, East Asia Institute

South Sudan:

• Diing Mou Aguer, World Liberty Congress

Sudan:

• Rania Mamoun, author

Sweden:

• Dr. Shahriar Ahy, Iran Transition Council
• Alireza Akhondi, Member of Swedish Parliament
• Amb. Hans Corell, former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations

Switzerland:

• Dr. Darioush Bayandor, former UN official
• Jacqueline de Chollet, The Veerni Project
• Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch

Taiwan:

• Ketty W. Chen, Vice President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
• Wu’er Kaixi, Tiananmen Square and Uyghur human rights activist, General Secretary, Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission

Thailand:

• Nidhi Eoseewong, former Professor, recipient of the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize
• Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, President, Progressive Movement

Turkey:

• Zehra Dogan, artist
• Enes Kanter Freedom, NBA player and human rights activist
• Soli Ö zel, Professor, KHAS University
• Ayse Kadioglu, Professor, Sabanci University

Uganda:

• William Leslie Amanzuru, 2019 European Union Human Rights Defender Award winner
• Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Foundation for Human Rights Initiative

Ukraine:

• Yuriy Didula, Manager, Building Ukraine Together
• Myroslav Marynovych, former prisoner of conscience, activist
• Oleksandra Medviichuk, Chairwoman, Center for Civil Liberties
• Amb. Boris Tarasyuk, Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, former Minister for Foreign Affairs

United Kingdom:

• Kasra Aarabi, Iran Programme Lead, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
• Nazenin Ansari, Kayhan Publications
• Nancy Bermeo, Nuffield Senior Research Fellow, Oxford University
• Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign
• Simon Callow, Artist
• Dr. Emman El-Badawy, Director, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
• Dr. Paul Flather, Professor, Oxford University
• Dr. David Hirsh, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London and Academic Director of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism
• Alan Johnson, Editor, Fathom Journal
• Alan Mendoza, Executive Director, Henry Jackson Society
• Jamie Palmer, Senior Editor, Quillette
• Sharan Tabari, Media Watch Consultancy
• Aatish Taseer, author

United States of America:

• Ammar Abdulhamid, President, Tharwa Foundation
• Michael Abramowitz, President, Freedom House
• Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
• Maisoon al-Amarneh, Development Consultant, Women’s Learning Partnership
• Goli Ameri, former US Assistant Secretary of State
• Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union
• Reza Aslan, author
• Akbar Atri, Co-founder and Director E-Collaborative for Civic Education/Tavaana & Tavaana Tech
• Paul Auster, author
• Leila Austin, Executive Director, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
• Hussein Banai, Associate Professor, Indiana University at Bloomington
• Anthony Banbury, President and CEO, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
• Ali Banuazizi, Professor, Boston College
• Ahmad Batebi, journalist
• Martha Bayles, Senior Lecturer, Boston College
• Jaleh Behroozi, researcher
• Paul Berman, writer
• Russell Berman, Professor, Stanford University and Hoover Institution
• Sheri Berman, Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University
• Eric Bjornlund, President and CEO, Democracy International
• Joel Brito, Director, GIRSCC ASIC CUBA
• Jason Brodsky, Policy Director, United Against Nuclear Iran and the Cyrus Forum
• Charlotte Bunch, founder of Center for Women’s Global Leadership
• Shaun Byrnes, former Senior Foreign Service Officer
• Andrew H. Card, Jr., former Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, former White House Chief of Staff, and former Secretary of Transportation
• Mona Charen, Policy Editor, The Bulwark
• Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security
• Phyllis Chesler, author, Professor Emerita at the City University of New York (CUNY)
• Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale University
• Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State
• Ben Cohen, author and journalist, The Algemeiner
• Eliot A. Cohen, Professor
• Molly Crabapple, artist, writer
• Dr. David M. Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor UN Special Court for Sierra Leone
• Richard J. Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy
• Hon. Thomas Daschle, Chairman of the Board, National Democratic Institute (NDI), former Majority Leader of the US Senate
• Lydia Davis, author
• Pooya Dayanim Esq., President, Iranian Jewish Public Affairs Committee
• John DeBlasio, Chairman, DT Institute
• Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
• Donna Robinson Divine, Professor, Smith College
• Amb. Paula J. Dobriansky, former US Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
• William Dobson, Editor, Journal of Democracy
• Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director, Stanford Global Digital Policy Incubator
• Michele Dunne, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network, United States of America
• Amb. Eric Edelman, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
• Jessica Emami, Adjunct Lecturer, American University
• Randi Epstein, Physician, Author, Yale University
• Jonathan Fanton, former President, New School for Social Research
• Amb. Lee Feinstein, former US Ambassador to Poland
• Hiva Feizi, Executive Director, PaykanArtCar
• Owen Fiss, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law, Yale University
• David L. Fogel, Freedom House Trustee
• Hillel Fradkin, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
• Jonathan Franzen, author
• Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
• Amb. Laurie S. Fulton, former US Ambassador to Denmark
• William Galston, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
• Šumit Ganguly, Professor, Indiana University at Bloomington
• Jeff Gedmin, Co-founder, American Purpose
• Jared Genser, Managing Director, Perseus Strategies
• Hon. Richard Gephardt, former Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, and former Democratic Leader, US House of Representatives
• Richard Gere, Actor, Gere Foundation
• Reuel Marc Gerecht, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Carl Gershman, Founding President, National Endowment for Democracy
• Saeed Ghasseminejad , Senior Advisor, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Azadeh Ghotbi, artist
• Dr. Arthur Goldhammer, Harvard University,
• Saeid Golkar, UC Foundation Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
• Alyssa Farah Griffin, Co-host of ABC’s “The View,” former White House Communications Director
• Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, Founder and Director, ARAM-Iran
• Lev Grossman, author
• Jason Guberman, Executive Director, American Sephardi Foundation
• Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia, Ukrainian Catholic Church/President, Ukrainian Catholic University,
• Shahla Haeri, Professor, Boston University
• Jessica Hagedorn, author
• Roya Hakakian, Senior Fellow, American Purpose
• Thor Halvorssen, CEO, Human Rights Foundation
• Heidi Hartmann, Resident Economist, American University
• Leslie Hawke, The Alex Fund
• John Haynes, historian and author
• Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor, National Interest
• Jeffrey Herf, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland
• Aya Hijazi, Director, Belady, United States of America
• Kim Holmes, Center for International Private Enterprise, former US Assistant Secretary of State
• Robert Homans
• Allison Horowski, Executive Director, Women’s Learning Partnership
• Siri Hustvedt, author
• Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
• Dr. Jianli Yang, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China, United States
• Gunther Jikeli, Associate Professor, Indiana University
• Ryota Jonen, Director, World Movement for Democracy
• Claire Jungman, Chief of Staff, United Against Nuclear Iran
• Susan Kashaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine
• Garry Kasparov, Chairman, Human Rights Foundation/World Liberty Congress
• Steven Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School
• Craig Kennedy, Senior Fellow, American Purpose
• Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
• Cameron Khansarinia, Policy Director, NUFDI (National Union for Democracy in Iran)
• Laya Jalilian Khave, Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychiatry, Yale University
• Navid Khazanei, civil rights lawyer
• Len Khodorkovsky, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
• Mariam Khosravani, Founder and CEO, IAW Foundation
• Harvey Klehr, Andrew Mellon Professor of Politics and History Emeritus, Emory University
• Howard Konar, founder of Civic Genius
• David Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute
• Mark Kramer, Director, Harvard University Cold War Studies
• Nicole Krauss, author
• William Kristol, Defending Democracy Together, former Chief of Staff to the Vice President
• Anthony Kronman, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University
• Amb. Daniel Kurtzer, former US Ambassador to Egypt and Israel
• Anthony Lake, former National Security Advisor
• Richard Landes, Professor, Boston University
• Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, writer and journalist
• Steven Levitsky, Professor, Harvard University
• Robert Lieber, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
• Sarah Longwell, Longwell Partners, Defending Democracy Together
• Hon. Tom Malinowski, former Member of Congress, US House of Representatives
• Harlan Mandel, CEO, Media Development Investment Fund
• Dr. Shaun E. Marmon, Princeton University
• Paul Marshall, Professor, Baylor University
• Radwan A. Masmoudi, President, Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy
• Clifford D. May, President, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Michael McFaul, Professor, Stanford University
• Claudia Escobar Mejia, Distinguished Professor, George Mason University
• Mariam Memarsadeghi, Founder and Director, Cyrus Forum
• Dr. Louis Menashe, Professor Emeritus, Polytechnic Institute of NYU
• Sonya Michel, Professor Emerita, University of Maryland-College Park
• Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University
• Robert Miller, attorney
• Tim Miller, Board Member, Defending Democracy Together
• Blaise Misztal, Vice President for Policy, Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA)
• Gwendolyn Mink, author
• Hamid R. Moghadam, Co-founder, Iranian Studies Program, Stanford University
• Dr. Reza Moridi, former Parliamentarian and Minister; Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto
• Amb. Richard Morningstar, Atlantic Council, former U. Ambassador to Azerbaijan and the European Union
• Joshua Muravchik, Adjunct Professor, Institute of World Politics
• Firouz Naderi, former Director, Solar System Exploration, NASA
• Toni Navarro, artist
• Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian, President, Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation
• Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Trustee, Carlson Family Foundation
• Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, President and CEO, Boat People SOS, United States of America
• James H. Nichols Jr., Professor, Claremont McKenna College
• Gabriel Noronha, former US State Department Special Advisor for Iran
• Chiedo Nwankwor, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
• Thomas L. Pangle, Professor, University of Texas at Austin
• Andrew Pessin, Professor, Connecticut College
• Jason Pielemeier, Executive Director, Global Network Initiative
• Marc Plattner, Coeditor Emeritus, Journal of Democracy
• Serhii Plokhii, Professor, Harvard University
• Ramesh Ponnuru, Editor, National Review
• Rebecca S. Pringle, President, National Education Association
• Andrew Prozes, Trustee, Freedom House
• Dr. Nanette Pyne, Development Consultant, Women’s Learning Partnership
• Anahita Rabiee MD, Yale University
• Ronald Radosh, Professor Emeritus, CUNY
• Gil Ribak, Associate Professor, University of Arizona
• Gov. Tom Ridge, Ridge Global, First US Secretary of Homeland Security, former Governor of Pennsylvania
• Rachel Beatty Riedl, Professor, Cornell University
• Molly Ringwald, actor, writer, singer
• Thane Rosenbaum, Professor
• Susan Deller Ross, Professor, Georgetown University School of Law
• Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Randy Scheunemann, Vice Chairman, International Republican Institute
• Stacy Schiff, author
• Gary Schmitt, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow, Niskanen Center
• Alice Sebold, author
• Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Executive Vice President, Freedom House
• Aqil Shah, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma
• Gazelle Sharmahd, political activist, Save Sharmahd Campaign
• Elaine Showalter, Professor, Princeton University
• Gary Shteyngart, author
• Abram N. Shulsky, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
• Amb. Andras Simonyi, former Hungarian Ambassador
• Hon. David Skaggs, National Endowment for Democracy, and former Member of the US House of Representatives
• Peter Skerry, Professor, Boston College
• Dan Slater, James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
• Amy Erica Smith, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
• Timothy Snyder, Professor of History, Yale University
• Abraham Socher, Editor, Jewish Review of Books
• Nagwan Soliman, Nonresident Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• Amir Soltani, author
• Alec Soth, photographer
• Thomas P. Staudt, investor/adviser
• Sol Stern, journalist
• Lior B. Sternfeld, Associate Professor, Penn State University
• Kathryn Stoner, Mosbacher Director, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University
• Charles Sykes, Editor at-Large, The Bulwark
• Ray Takeyh, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
• Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Amy Tan, author
• Betty Tompkins, artist
• Michael Totten, writer
• Joshua A. Tucker, Professor, New York University
• Tung Nguyen, President, Vietnam Human Rights Network, United States of America
• Amb. Robert Tuttle, former US Ambassador to the United Kingdom
• Daniel Twining, President, International Republican Institute
• Anne Tyler, author
• Dr. Mehri Vafa, Women’s Learning Partnership
• Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
• Amb. Alexander Vershbow, former US Ambassador to Russia, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, Atlantic Council
• Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security
• Isabelle Vladoiu, Founder, US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights
• Gen. Joseph L. Votel, US Army (Ret.), former Commanding General, US Central Command, Freedom House Trustee
• Christopher Walker, Vice President for Studies and Analysis, National Endowment for Democracy
• Amb. Mark Wallace, CEO, United Against Nuclear Iran
• George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
• Leon Wieseltier, Editor, Liberties Journal
• Jody Williams, United States of America, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
• Andrew Wilson, Executive Director, Center for International Private Enterprise
• Damon Wilson, National Endowment for Democracy
• Ruth Wisse, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
• Xiao Qiang, Founder and Chief Editor, China Digital Times
• Xiyue Wang, Ph.D. candidate, Princeton University and former US hostage in Iran
• Idan Ben Yakir, Senior Policy and Operations Associate, Global Network Initiative

Venezuela:

• Dr. Tamara Adrian, Member of the Venezuelan National Assembly
• Leopoldo Lopez, World Liberty Congress
• Moisés Naim, Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Horacio Siciliano, artist

Vietnam:

• Mai Khoi, artist
• Tung Nguyen, President, Vietnam Human Rights Network

Yemen:

• Tawakkol Karman, Yemen, human rights activist, Journalist, Politician, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

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