In a resounding global initiative, 109 distinguished former world leaders hailing from 47 nations signed an open letter that calls on the international community to rally behind Iran’s pro-democracy demonstrators and unequivocally denounce the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Their missive to the world powers comes days after the regime heartlessly executed three individuals arrested during Iran’s nationwide.
Over the course of the past three weeks, Iran has witnessed a deeply troubling surge in state-sanctioned executions—an alarming tally that has tragically surpassed the daunting milestone of 100—as the regime relentlessly tries to quell protests through unrestrained acts of violence.
The joint letters calls on the leaders of Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States to hold the “leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for their heinous crimes.”
The letter and its signatories condemn “Decades of apparent silence and inaction by the international community,” which has “helped fuel a culture of impunity in Iran.” The letter adds that “Since the 1980s, the authorities in Iran have executed tens of thousands of protesters and political prisoners. Tragically, in the summer of 1988 alone, over 30,000 political prisoners – the vast majority of whom were members of the opposition MEK – were brutally massacred.”
While stressing that “it is for the Iranian people to decide their future,” the statement’s signatories “recognize that for four decades, the democratic coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has constantly and tirelessly pursued democratic change.”
Therefore, they underlined that they believe the Ten-Point Plan articulated by the NCRI President, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, “deserves support. Its commitment to free elections, freedom of assembly and expression, abolition of the death penalty, gender equality, separation of religion and state, autonomy for Iran’s ethnicities, and a non-nuclear Iran is in line with our own democratic values.”
The signatories call on world leaders “to stand with the Iranian people in their quest for change and to take decisive steps against the current regime. This includes blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and holding regime officials accountable for their crimes against humanity.”
The signatories of the letter encourage leaders of the free world to “stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their desire for a secular and democratic republic where no individual, regardless of religion or birthright, has any privilege over others. Through their slogans, the Iranian people have made it clear that they reject all forms of dictatorship, be it that of the deposed Shah or the current theocratic regime, and thus reject any association with either.”