​Condemning Gendered State Violence in Iran and Supporting a Democratic Transition

We, the undersigned feminists in the Iranian diaspora, speak out in solidarity with the women, girls, and gender-oppressed people of Iran who are facing systematic state violence, repression, and killing under the theocratic Islamic Republic regime in Iran. We do so while recognising that this violence is part of a broader machinery of repression that targets Iranian society as a whole.

The 2022 uprising, under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom," expressed a collective demand for equality, self-determination, and freedom from state oppression. It exposed the structural nature of oppression in Iran and laid the groundwork for an ongoing movement and the recent uprising seeking to dismantle a theocratic system of gender apartheid and to build a free and democratic society. A society in which all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or belief, are equal before the law.

As feminists, we reject silence in the face of injustice. The criminalization of women’s bodies, the targeting of protesters, and the use of sexual violence, imprisonment, and execution as instruments of intimidation constitute forms of gendered political violence that demand unequivocal condemnation.

We therefore:

- Unequivocally condemn the widespread killing of protesters and the systematic repression carried out by the ruling Islamic Republic regime of Iran, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, and the denial of due process.

- Stand in solidarity with the Iranian people—particularly women and others subjected to gender-based violence, patriarchal control, and authoritarian rule; with those killed, imprisoned, or disappeared, and with their families; and with all those who continue to resist oppression at grave personal risk.

- Call on feminist movements, organizations, and institutions worldwide to move beyond symbolic gestures and take concrete action in support of:

i. accountability for gender-based crimes;

ii. protection pathways for at-risk activists and human-rights defenders; and
iii. the institutional isolation of state bodies responsible for gender oppression and violence.

- Recognizing the urgent need for a credible and peaceful transition away from authoritarian rule, further express our support for Reza Pahlavi as a transitional leader who has publicly committed to:

i. a secular political order guaranteeing full legal equality regardless of gender, religion, or belief;

ii. the abolition of compulsory veiling (hijab) and all laws enforcing gender discrimination;

iii. the territorial integrity of Iran;

iv. free and fair elections determined by the Iranian people; and,

v. a transitional process grounded in justice, accountability, and the rule of law

This support is grounded in a commitment to transparency, pluralism, and continued accountability to the Iranian people throughout the transitional process. It does not pre-empt the will of the Iranian people, nor does it negate the plurality of feminist visions for Iran’s future. Rather, it reflects the urgent need for a unifying and internationally credible figure capable of facilitating a peaceful transition and creating the conditions in which women and marginalized communities can freely shape their political destiny.

Signed in defence of bodily autonomy, gender justice, and the future of Iran, because silence in the face of mass killing and state violence is incompatible with feminist and civic responsibility.

Feminists of the Iranian Diaspora