As the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly unfolds in New York, attended by President Masoud Mezikian of Iran and his delegation, Narges Mohammadi, Nobel laureate, addressed a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, emphasising the critical state of human rights in Iran.
Human rights campaigner Mohammadi has been imprisoned since 2021, when she was sentenced to 154 lashes and ten years in prison. Since June she has been facing new charges of ‘making propaganda against the state’.
In her letter, Mohammadi calls for an immediate cessation of executions, the release of all political and ideological prisoners, and an end to the systematic repression of women and independent civil institutions in Iran.
Reflecting on the second anniversary of the nationwide ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ (Jin, Jiyan Azadi) uprising, Mohammadi reiterated that the movement’s core demands are anchored in women’s rights, democracy, and equality. She stated:
“The cost of this collective uprising, like those before it, has been the continued and brutal repression of the people.”
Mohammadi highlighted the cases of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish women journalist and social worker, and Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labour activist, both of whom face imminent execution. She criticised the international community for its passive response to the ongoing violence, executions, and repression of women, which persist in streets, detention centres, and prisons across Iran.
Addressing the UN General Assembly representatives, Mohammadi outlined the following demands:
1. Stop the widespread and brutal executions of prisoners.
2. Secure the release of all political and ideological prisoners.
3. End the systematic and targeted oppression of Iranian women and the criminalise gender apartheid.
4. Halt the suppression of independent civil institutions.
In the final section of her letter, Mohammadi warned that representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran would attend the UN session, and urged the international community to make human rights a non-negotiable condition for any engagement with the Iranian government. She called for proactive and concrete measures to advance democracy and peace in Iran and the wider Middle East.
The full text of Mohammadi’s letter can be read below:
Dear Mr Guterres,
Dear Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Dear Members of the United Nations General Assembly,
Two years have passed since the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement began, a democratic uprising that continues to echo across Iran. This movement champions its demands under the powerful slogans of women, life, and freedom, calling for democracy and equality.
The cost of this collective uprising, like those before it, has been the continued and brutal repression of the people.
The world witnesses the killings, executions, imprisonment, and relentless repression of women in our streets, detention centres, and prisons. Today, we are deeply alarmed by the looming execution of women activists, namely Pakhshan Azizi and Sharife Mohammadi.
Dear Representatives,
As the regime’s representatives participate in the United Nations General Assembly, I urge you to seriously and proactively prioritise democracy and peace in the Middle East and Iran. Human rights must become a non-negotiable prerequisite for any form of dialogue with this regime.
I call upon you to:
1. Stop the widespread and brutal executions of prisoners.
2. Secure the release of all political and ideological prisoners.
3. End the systematic and targeted oppression of Iranian women, and criminalise gender apartheid.
4. Halt the suppression of independent civil institutions.
I urge you to take swift, decisive action.
Narges Mohammadi
Evin Prison
September 2024
