Iran Solidarity's declaration and initial list of signatories follows:
Iran Solidarity
In June 2009 millions of people came out on to the streets of Iran for freedom and an end to the Islamic regime. Whilst
the June 12 election was a pretext for the protests - elections have never been free or fair in Iran - it has opened the
space for people to come to the fore with their own slogans.
The world has been encouraged by the protestors' bravery and humane demands and horrified by the all-out repression they
have faced. It has seen a different image of Iran - one of a population that refuses to kneel even after 30 years of
living under Islamic rule.
The dawn that this movement heralds for us across the world is a promising one - one that aims to bring Iran into the
21st century and break the back of the political Islamic movement internationally.
This is a movement that must be supported.
Declaration
We, the undersigned, join Iran Solidarity to declare our unequivocal solidarity with the people of Iran. We hear their
call for freedom and stand with them in opposition to the Islamic regime of Iran. We demand:
1. The immediate release of all those imprisoned during the recent protests and all political prisoners 2. The
arrest and public prosecution of those responsible for the current killings and atrocities and for those committed
during the last 30 years 3. Proper medical attention to those wounded during the protests and ill-treated and
tortured in prison. Information on the status of the dead, wounded and arrested to their families. The wounded and
arrested must have access to their family members. Family members must be allowed to bury their loved ones where they
choose. 4. A ban on torture 5. The abolition of the death penalty and stoning 6. Unconditional freedom of
expression, thought, organisation, demonstration, and strike 7. Unconditional freedom of the press and media and
an end to restrictions on communications, including the internet, telephone, mobiles and satellite television programmes
8. An end to compulsory veiling and gender apartheid 9. The abolition of discriminatory laws against women and the
establishment of complete equality between men and women 10. The complete separation of religion from the state,
judiciary, education and religious freedom and atheism as a private matter.
Moreover, we call on all governments and international institutions to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran and break
all diplomatic ties with it. We are opposed to military intervention and economic sanctions because of their adverse
affects on people's lives.
The people of Iran have spoken; we stand with them.
To join Iran Solidarity, click here: http://www.iransolidarity.org.uk.
Initial list of signatories:
Boaz Adhengo, Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya, Kenya Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Coordinator, Stop Child Executions
Campaign, Canada Mina Ahadi, Campaigner, Germany Sargul Ahmad, Activist, Women's Liberation in Iraq, Canada Susan
Ahmadi, Mitra Daneshi, and Furugh Arghavan, Iran Civil Rights Committee, Canada Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Writer and
Columnist, UK Mahin Alipour, Coordinator, Equal Rights Now - Organisation against Women's Discrimination in Iran, Sweden
Farideh Arman, Coordinator, International Campaign in Defence of Women's Rights in Iran, Sweden Abdullah Asadi,
Executive Director, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, Sweden Zari Asli, Friends of Women in the Middle East
Society, Canada Ophelia Benson, Editor, Butterflies and Wheels, USA Julie Bindel, Journalist and Activist, UK Russell
Blackford, Writer and Philosopher, Australia Nazanin Borumand, Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings,
Germany Caroline Brancher, UFAL, France George Broadhead, Secretary of Pink Triangle Trust, UK Children First Now,
Sweden Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, UK Communist Youth Organisation, Sweden Council of Ex-Muslims
of Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia Count Me In - Iranian Action Network, UK Shahla Daneshfar, Director, Committee for
the Freedom of Political Prisoners, UK Richard Dawkins, Scientist, UK Patty Debonitas, Third Camp against US Militarism
and Islamic Terrorism, UK Deeyah, Singer and Composer, USA Equal Rights Now - Organisation against Women's
Discrimination in Iran, Sweden Tarek Fatah, Author, Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State, Canada AC
Grayling, Writer and Philosopher, UK Maria Hagberg, Chair, Network against Honour-Related Violence, Sweden Johann Hari,
Journalist, UK Farzana Hassan, Writer, Canada Marieme Helie Lucas, founder Secularism Is A Women's Issue, France Farshad
Hoseini, International Campaign against Executions, Netherlands Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya, Kenya Khayal
Ibrahim, Coordinator, Organization of Women's Liberation in Iraq, Canada Leo Igwe, Director, Nigerian Humanist Movement,
Nigeria International Campaign for the Defence of Women's Rights in Iran, Sweden Iran Civil Rights Committee, Canada
International Committee against Executions, Netherlands International Committee to Protect Freethinkers, Canada
International Committee against Stoning, Germany International Federation of Iranian Refugees, Sweden International
Labour Solidarity, UK Iranian Secular Society, UK Ehsan Jami, Politician, the Netherlands Asqar Karimi, Executive
Committee Member, Worker-communist Party of Iran, UK, Hope Knutsson, President, Sidmennt - the Icelandic Ethical
Humanist Association, Iceland Hartmut Krauss, Editor, Hintergrund, Germany Sanine Kurz, Journalist, Germany Ghulam
Mustafa Lakho, Advocate, High Court of Sindh, Pakistan Derek Lennard, UK Coordinator of International Day against
Homophobia, UK Nasir Loyand, Left Radical of Afghanistan, Afghanistan Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer and broadcaster, UK
Johnny Maudlin, writer of Neda (You Will Not Defeat The People), Canada Stefan Mauerhofer, Co-President, Freethinker
Association of Switzerland, Switzerland Anthony McIntyre, Writer, Ireland Navid Minay, General Secretary, Communist
Youth Organisation, Sweden Reza Moradi, Producer, Fitna Remade, UK Douglas Murray, Director, Centre for Social Cohesion,
UK Maryam Namazie, Campaigner, UK Taslima Nasrin, Writer, Physician and Activist National Secular Society, UK Never
Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings, Germany Nigerian Humanist Movement, Nigeria Samir Noory, Writer, Canada
Yulia Ostrovskaya and Svetlana Nugaeva, Rule of Law Institute, Russia One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in
Britain, UK Peyvand - Solidarity Committee for Freedom Movement in Iran, Germany Pink Triangle Trust, UK Fariborz Pooya,
Founder, Iranian Secular Society, UK Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, Afghanistan Flemming Rose,
Journalist and Editor, Denmark Rule of Law Institute, Russia Fahimeh Sadeghi, Coordinator, International Federation of
Iranian Refugees-Vancouver, Canada Arash Mishka Sahami, TV Factual Producer, UK Terry Sanderson, President, National
Secular Society, UK Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Philosopher, Author and Ralph Giordano Foundation Spokesperson, Germany
Gabi Schmidt, Teacher, Germany Karim Shahmohammadi, Director, Children First Now, Sweden Sohaila Sharifi, Editor,
Unveiled, London, UK Udo Schuklenk, Philosophy professor, Queen's University, Canada Issam Shukri, Head, Defense of
Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq; Central Committee Secretary, Left Worker-communist Party of Iraq, Iraq Bahram
Soroush, Public Relations, International Labour Solidarity, UK Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner, UK Dick Taverne,
Baron, House of Lords, UK Hamid Taqvaee, Central Committee Secretary, Worker-communist Party of Iran, UK Third Camp, UK
Karin Vogelpohl, Pedagogue, Germany Babak Yazdi, Head of Khavaran, Canada Marvin F. Zayed, President, International
Committee to Protect Freethinkers, Canada
ENDS