We, the 23 independent Iranian women’s organizations, strongly condemn the Israeli military aggression against Iran and the warmongering movements in the Middle East. This war has been carried out in the continuation of the genocide in Gaza with the support of the US and the European Union and by taking advantage of the warmongering provocations of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime.
From our point of view, this attack can lead to an intensification of the suppression of progressive and freedom-loving movements in Iran, where for more than four decades women have always been at the forefront of fighting against any kind of oppression and inequality based on gender, class, national and ethnic origin, and in short, for a free and dignified life. Especially the achievements of the revolutionary women’s movement of a free life, which has taken place in the continuation of a 46-year struggle and in the continuation of the recent uprisings in January 2017 and November 2019. We are also concerned today, at the heart of this tension, about the coming to power of options that want to seize the demands of this revolutionary uprising.
We are firmly opposed to the expansion of any form of militarism, whether nuclear or non-nuclear, in Iran and around the world. In the context of war and occupation, women face double violence—not only from bombs and bullets, but also from structures that have already marginalized their lives. War places a heavier economic, psychological, and caregiving burden on women; it reduces access to vital resources for mothers, caregivers, and survivors; and at the same time, through increased militarism, it makes the social environment more masculine, authoritarian, and oppressive. In such circumstances, sexual, racial, economic, and political violence are intertwined, and women’s bodies and lives once again become battlefields. These policies are used not for security, but for the appropriation of global resources by a small minority, and control over the lives of the majority.
In conclusion, we sympathize with the position that
“The liberation of us, the people of Iran, from the dictatorship ruling the country is possible through the struggle of the masses and by resorting to social forces”
(Quote from four female political prisoners from Evin Prison: Reyhaneh Ansari, Sakineh Parvaneh, Varisheh Moradi, and Golrokh Iraei).
Peace, Freedom, Equality
Women, Life, Freedom
No to the Islamic Republic
Signatories, 23 independent Iranian women’s organizations
Together for Women’s Health
Iranian Free Women’s Association of Italy
Iranian Women’s Association of Dallas
Iranian-German Women’s Association of Cologne
Parto Women’s Association
Montreal Women’s Association
MeToo Movement of Iran
Iranian Women’s Circle for International Cooperation (ICWIN)
Women for Sustainable Freedom and Equality
Iranian Women’s Activist in ExileBerlin
IKWRO Women’s Rights Organization (IKWRO)
The Organization for Emancipation of Women
IWIN Non-Profit Organization Empowering Women Through Art
Everyday Feminism
Iranian Women’s Forum in Vienna
Women’s Collective Life Freedom Rome
Stop Honor Killings Campaign
Gender Equality Committee of the Iranian Republican Solidarity
Left Women’s Alliance Group
Northern California Women’s Group
Orange County Women’s Studies Group
LGBTQ Manav
Iranian Women’s Conference in Hannover