Support The Iranian Struggle for Freedom

Support The Iranian Struggle for Freedom

Started
January 30, 2023
Signatures: 116,588Next Goal: 150,000
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Started by Freedom House

 

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Iranians have taken to the streets in rebellion.  The vanguard are young women, but they have been joined by men and people of all ages.  With breathtaking courage and unarmed, they have kept coming, even as the regime has shot, hanged, tortured, blinded, raped, beaten, and arrested many thousands.

The spark was mandatory hijab, but the target of the uprising is the whole theocratic system.  Their slogan is Woman, Life, Freedom.  The goal they chant is “Azadi, Azadi, A-za-di,” meaning “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom.”

Their victory would mean deliverance from a regime that denies free elections, free speech, due process of law, and personal autonomy in matters as simple as the choice of clothing.

Victory would mean even more than that.  The end of the Islamic Republic’s system of misogyny would constitute a global landmark in the long march toward a world in which women are treated equally.

The triumph of freedom in Iran could renew the global tide of democratization that was so strong in the latter twentieth century but has ebbed in the face of authoritarian counterattack.

The Azadi movement addresses no demands to the regime, which it regards as fundamentally illegitimate and beyond reform.  The protestors chant “down with” it.  They want theocracy and dictatorship replaced by freedom and democracy.  They proclaim a “revolution.”

They deserve unstinting support from freedom-loving people around the world:

  • Governments, civic associations, and individuals should speak loudly and often in support of the protestors and in condemnation of the regime’s repressive actions.  Legislators and others should “adopt” individual arrestees, especially those facing execution, and spotlight their plight.
  • Governments should take diplomatic, economic, and symbolic measures to punish the regime and bolster the protestors. All officials involved in the repressions, from Supreme Leader Khamenei down to local Basij commanders, should be sanctioned. The Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) should be added to terrorism lists.
  • High level officials of democratic governments should receive leaders of the opposition, in publicly-announced meetings.
  • Accurate, reliable, fact-based reporting via international radio, television, and social media reaching Iran should be enhanced, as should assistance to private Iranian exile broadcasting.
  • Technical assistance, including equipment, should be given to help the demonstrators counteract censorship and surveillance and to communicate despite the regime’s disruption of Internet service and blocking of websites.
  • Labor unions, governments, and others in the international community should express solidarity with Iranian workers, should share the experiences of other labor struggles for worker rights and democracy, and should also seek ways to provide practical assistance, such as VPNs, other means of communication, and contributions to strike funds if safe and effective channels can be found.

We pledge to do all in our power to support the Iranian struggle for Azadi and call upon all people of good will everywhere to join us.

Signed,

Nobel Prize Laureates:

Svetlana Alexievich, journalist and author, 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, 1987 Nobel Peace Prize
Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Iran, human rights defender, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
Leymah R. Gbowee, Liberia, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize 
Tawakkol Karman, Yemen, human rights activist, Journalist, Politician, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru, novelist, journalist, former politician, 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature
Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize
Maria Ressa, Philippines, CEO of Rappler, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize 
H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize 
Jody Williams, United States of America, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize 


Heads of State, Government, or International Organizations:

H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica
H.E. Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary General
H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi
Rt. Hon. A. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada
H.E. Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica
Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Constitutional Affairs
Rt. Hon. Stephen J. Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
H.E. Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, former President of Costa Rica
H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia


Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to the United Nations and former US Representative for Afghanistan Reconstruction

H.E. Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada
H.E. Iveta Radicova, former Prime Minister of Slovakia

H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, former Secretary-General of NATO, and Founder, Alliance of Democracies
H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia

Radosław Tomasz "Radek" Sikorski, Member of European Parliament, Poland

Anita Vandenbeld, Member of Parliament, Canada

Organizations:

AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees

The Alliance of Democracies
Alliance for Rights of All Minorities (ARAM-Iran)
American Purpose
Asia Democracy Network
Association Burundaise pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues (Burundian Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Persons in Detention - APRODH) 
Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Aurat Foundation
Australian Council of Trade Unions
Boat People SOS
Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Laureate, Ukraine
Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University
Crystal Bayat Foundation
Cyrus Forum
Democracy International
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
Forum 2000
Freedom House

Henry Jackson Society
Hong Kong Democracy Council
Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Iranian Diaspora Collective
New York Women’s Foundation
PEN America
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Razom for Ukraine
Solidarity is Global
Vital Voices Global Partnership
WLP Brazil/CEPIA - Citizenship, Study, Research, Information, and Action
WLP-Kazakhstan/Women's Resource Centre
Women’s Learning Partnership
Women Political Leaders
World Liberty Congress
World Movement for Democracy

Individuals listed by nationality or location (as listed by signer):

Afghanistan:

Crystal Bayat, activist and human rights advocate
Khaled Hosseini, author
Fawzia Koofi, first female Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Afghanistan

Angola:

Rafael Marques de Morais, founder of Maka Angola


Argentina:

Laura Alonso, former head of anti-corruption office of Argentina
Gerardo Bongiovanni, President, Fundación Libertad
Ariel Dorfman, author
Gabriel C. Salvia, Executive Director, CADAL

Armenia:

Haykuhi Harutyunyan, human rights lawyer
Gulnara Shahinian, founder of Democracy Today, former UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Australia:

Hon. Michael Danby, former Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee in the Australian Parliament
Jennie George, former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
Misha Zelinsky, Fulbright Scholar, columnist at the Australian Financial Review
Austria:

Dr. Michael Ignatieff, Professor of History, Rector Emeritus, Central European University


Azerbaijan:

Khadija Ismayilova, journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Toplum TV
Dr. Leyla Yunus, Chevalier of the French Legion Honor, Sakharov Prize Finalist, and Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy

Bangladesh:

Shahidul Alam, artist


Belarus:

Svetlana Alexievich, journalist and author, 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
Ken Godfrey, Executive Director, European Partnership for Democracy
Natalia Koliada, artist
Nicolai Khalezin, author
Natalia Pinchuk, wife of Nobel Laureate and prisoner of conscience Ales Bialatski
Natallia Radzina, Editor-in-Chief of Charter97
Amb. Andrei Sannikov, former Ambassador to Switzerland, European Belarus Foundation, Belarusian National Congress
H.E. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Government of Belarus in exile

Belgium:

Dr. Saeed Bashirtash, Chairman, Executive Council Solidarity for the Liberation of Iran (7 Aban Front)
Dr. Arash Joudaki, writer and philosopher
Darya Safai, Member of Belgian Parliament
Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President, Open Dialogue Foundation

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Darko Brkan, UG Zasto ne


Bulgaria:

Ivan Krastev, Chair, CLS Sofia


Burundi:

Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, President, Association Burundaise pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues (Burundian Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Persons in Detention (APRODH)

Cameroon:

Ateki Seta Caxton, Network for Solidarity, Empowerment and Transformation for All 


Canada:

Nazanin Afshin-Jam McKay, human rights activist, co-founder of Stop Child Executions
Dr. Ali Ashtari, data scientist and political activist
Margaret Atwood, author
Rt. Hon. A. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada
Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Constitutional Affairs
Irwin Cotler, Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights
Saeid Dehghan, human rights lawyer, World Liberty Congress
Ron Diebert, Professor and Director, Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto
Ali Ehsassi, Member of Parliament
Hon. L. Yves Fortier, Cabinet Yves Fortier, former Canadian Ambassador to the UN
Jean-Francois Gaudrault-Desbiens, law professor, University of Montreal
Terry Glavin, journalist, National Post
Rt. Hon. Stephen J. Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
Rt. Hon. Claire L'Heureux-Dube, Retired Judge, Canadian Supreme Court, International Women's Judges Association
Marcus Kolga, Senior Fellow, Macdonald Laurier Institute
Soosan Daghighi Latham, Professor, York University, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at Jindal Global University
Fred Litwin, author, Free Thinking Film Society
Hon. Peter Gordon MacKay, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice, and Attorney General
Shuvaloy Majumdar, former Director of Policy to Canada's Foreign Minister
Hon. Ratna Omidvar, Senate of Canada
Hon. Allan Rock, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice
Berel Rodal, Publius Consulting Group
Mahsa Sardary, women’s rights activist
Kaveh Shahrooz, lawyer and Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Dr. Shahram Tabe, Professor, University of Toronto
Sarah Teich, lawyer, Cyrus Forum
Lucan Way, Professor, University of Toronto

Chile:

Rafael Rincón-Urdaneta Zerpa, Communications Coordinator, Forum 2000

China:

Liao Yiwu, author
Xiao Qiang, Founder and Chief Editor, China Digital Times, University of California at Berkeley School of Information
Dr. Jianli Yang, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China

Colombia:

Hon. Marta Lucia Ramirez, former Vice President and Foreign Affairs Minister

Costa Rica:

H.E. Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, 1987 Nobel Peace Prize
Hon. Kevin Casas-Zamora, former Second Vice President of Costa Rica and Secretary-General of International IDEA
H.E. Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica
H.E. Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, former President of Costa Rica

Croatia:

Vesna Pusic, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor

Cuba:

Coco Fusco, artist
Rosa María Payá, founder of Cuba Decide

Czech Republic:

Marketa Gregorova, Member of European Parliament
Jakub Klepal, Forum 2000 Foundation
Sasha Vondra, former Minister of Defense
Amb. Michael Zantovsky, Vaclav Havel Library

Denmark

H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, former Secretary-General of NATO, and Founder, Alliance of Democracies


East Turkestan:

Dolkun Isa, President, World Uyghur Congress

Egypt:

Nasser Amin, Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary
Bahey Eldin Hassan, Director, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Hisham Kassem, former Director, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
Ahmed Naje, writer

Eritrea:

Meron Estefanos, Director, Eritrean Initiative for Human Rights

Estonia:

H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia

Finland:

Alviina Alametsä, Member of European Parliament

France:

Robert Badinter, former Minister of Justice
Caroline Fourest, writer, filmmaker
Nathalie Goulet, Member of French Senate
Bassma Kodmani, freelance scholar
Pierre Larrouturou, Member of European Parliament
Bernard Henri Lévy, philosopher, writer
Saeed Paivandi, Professor, University of Lorraine
Guy Sorman, Chief Advisor, La Maison Francaise at New York University
Nicolas Tenzer, Chairman, Centre d'Etude et de Réflexion pour l'Action politique (CERAP)

Georgia:

Ketevan Chachava, Steering Committee Member, World Movement for Democracy
Charles H. Fairbanks Jr., American-Georgian Initiative for Liberal Education
Nino Evgenidze, Executive Director, EPRC
Eka Gigauri, Executive Director, Transparency International Georgia
Dr. Ghia Nodia, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD)
Giorgi Muchaidze, Executive Director, Atlantic Council of Georgia
Tinatin Khidasheli, Chairwoman, Civic IDEA
Lisa Tsuladze, Executive Director, Center for Social Sciences; associate professor, Tbilisi State University
Nino Zambakhidze, CEO, Unity Apolitical Academy

Germany:

Dr. Ulrike Becker, Mideast Freedom Forum
Andreas Bummel, Executive Director, Democracy Without Borders
Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of European Parliament, former Chairman of German Green Party
Dr. Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, Mayor and acting Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main
Dr. Stephan Grigat, Professor, Center for Antisemitism and Racism Studies, Catholic University of Applied Science
Silvana Koch-Merin, President and Founder of Women Political Leaders, and former VP of European Parliament
Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament, Foundation of German-Polish Cooperation
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, Professor, Hertie School, the Governance University
Dr. Norbert Röttgen, Member of German Bundestag
Rebecca Schönenbach, Chairwoman, Frauen für Freiheit (Women for Freedom)
Dr. Karin Stögner, University of Passau
Benjamin Tallis, Research Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations

Ghana:

E. Gyimah-Boadi, Professor

Hong Kong:

Alex Chow, Board Member, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Samuel Chu, President, The Campaign for Hong Kong
Han Dongfang, Executive Director, China Labor Bulletin
Victoria Tin-bor Hui, Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame
Anna Kwok, Executive Director, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Joey Siu, human rights activist

Hungary:

Miklos Haraszti, former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Fellow at the Center for the Media, Data, and Society, Central European University
Bálint Magyar, sociologist, Central European University Democracy Institute
Zoltan Kesz, former Member of Parliament
Péter Krekó, Director, Political Capital Institute
István Rév, Professor, Central European University

India:

Shibashis Chatterjee, Professor, Jadavpur University
Ramin Jahanbegloo, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at Jindal Global University
Vasanth Kannabiran, consultant, activist, National Alliance of Women
Ajay K. Mehra, independent scholar

Indonesia:

Marco Kusumawijaya, artist
Siti Nurjanah, WLP Indonesia, Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia (WYDII)

Iran:

Mahnaz Afkhami, President, Women’s Learning Partnership, former Minister of Women's Affairs of Iran

Masih Alinejad, founder of My Stealthy Freedom Campaign Against Mandatory Hijab
Khalid Aziz, spokesman, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
Nazanin Boniadi, actress, human rights advocate
Dr. Roya Boroumand, Executive Director, A. Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
Dr. Ladan Boroumand, historian and human rights activist
Shirin Ebadi, Iran, human rights defender, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
Golshifteh Farahani, civil rights activist, actress
Jahanshah Javid, publisher
Ali Karimi, civil rights activist, sportsman
Abdullah Mohtadi, Chairman, Kamala Party of Iranian Kurdistan
Dr. Azar Nafisi, writer
Reza Pahlavi, advocate for a Secular Democratic Iran
Amir Soltani, author

Ireland:

David Byrne SC, former EU Commissioner and Attorney General of Ireland

Israel:

Anna Geifman, Senior Researcher, Bar Ilan University
Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute
Dr. David Hazony, Editor, Jewish Priorities
Benjamin Kerstein, author
Amichai Magen, Professor, Reichman University
Benny Morris, Professor, Ben Gurion University
Fania Oz-Salzberger, author, Professor, University of Haifa
Dr. Micha J. Perry, University of Haifa
Natan Sharansky, politician, author, human rights activist
Jonathan Spyer, Middle East Forum
Ayelet Waldman, author

Japan:

Maiko Ichihara, Professor, Hitotsubashi University
Amb. Yukio Takasu, Chair, Future of Democracy Study, Japan Center for International Exchange

Kenya:

Wanuri Kahiu, artist

Kosovo:

Agon Maliqi, Chairman of the Board, Sbunker

Kyrgyzstan:

Lira Asylbek, Coordinator, WLP-Bir Duino, Coalition for Equality
Cholpon Djakupova, Legal Clinic Adilet, former Member of Parliament
Tolekan Ismailova, Director, HRM Bir-Duino-Kyrgyzstan
Amb. Zamira Sydykova, former Ambassador to the United States and Canada; Founder and Editor of Rees Publica

Liberia:

Leymah R. Gbowee, Liberia, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize 
Eddie D. Jarwolo, Executive Director, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development
Anderson D. Miamen, civil society leader
H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize 
W. Lawrence Yealue II, Country Director, Accountability Lab Liberia

Lithuania:

Audronius Azubalis, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas
Rasa Juknevičienė, Member of European Parliament
Marius Matijosaitis, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas
Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Lithuanian Seimas
Jurgis Razma, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas

Malawi:

H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi

Malaysia:

Farouk Musa, Director, Islamic Renaissance Front

Mauritania:

Aminetou Mint El Mokhtar, President, Association of Women Heads of Households

Mexico:

Enrique Krauze, writer, Letras Libras

Montenegro:

Dr. Srdan Darmanovic, Professor, University of Montenegro

Morocco:

Ouafar Amadaou, Program Coordinator, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Nezha Belkachla, human rights activist
Mokhtar Benabdallaoui, Professor, Hassan II University Casablanca
Houda Bouzzit, Executive Director, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Nisrine Elhaskouri, Project Coordinator, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Amatarz Khadija, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Amina Lemrini, founding President, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
Aatifa Timjerdine, activist

Myanmar/Burma:

Wai Wai Nu, former prisoner of conscience, founder and Executive Director of the Women Peace Network, human rights activist
Ma Thida, author
Bart Was Not Here, artist

Netherlands:

Touraj Atabaki, Professor, International Institute of Social History
Tineke Strik, Member of European Parliament

Nicaragua:

Carlos Chamoro, journalist, Confidencial

Nigeria:

Chimamanda Adichie, author
Joy Ngwakwe, Executive Director, Center for Advancement of Democratic Rights
Mma Odi, Executive Director, Emma Ezeazu Center for Good Governance and Accountability
Ayo Obe, lawyer

Peru:

Gustavo Gorriti, Director, IDL-Reporteros
Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru, novelist, journalist, former politician, 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature

Philippines:

Maria Ressa, Philippines, CEO of Rappler, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize 

Poland:

Adam Bodnar, Professor, SWPS University, former Polish Ombudsman
Jacek Kucharczyk, Executive Board President, Institute of Public Affairs
Danuta Przywara, Chairwoman of the Council, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
Nima Rashedan, global democracy activist, Civic Cloud Ukraine
Sławomir Sierakowski, Director, Krytyka Polityczna, Poland

Portugal:

Joao Carlos Espada, Professor, Institute for Political Studies, UCP
Republic of the Congo:

Andrea Ngombet, founder of Sassoufit Collective

Russia:

Masha Alekhina, artist
Vladimir Kara-Murza, prisoner of conscience
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former prisoner of conscience, founder of the Russian Anti-War Committee
Zhanna Nemtsova, founder of Boris Nemtsov Foundation
Andrei Piontkovsky, Senior Fellow, Institute of Modern Russia
Anastasia Shevchenko, civil activist

Saudi Arabia:

Yahya Assiri, co-founder and former Secretary-General of the Saudi National Assembly Party - NAAS and founder of ALQST

Senegal:

Julie Cisse, Executive Director, GIPS/WAR/WLP
Thiat, Y’en a Marre

Serbia:

Sonja Biserko, President, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
Andrej Nosov, theater director, Heartefact

Slovakia:

Martin Butora, Honorary Chairman, Institute for Public Affairs
Miriam Lexmann, Member of European Parliament
H.E. Iveta Radicova, former Prime Minister of Slovakia

South Korea:

Ha Tae Keung, Member of South Korean National Assembly
Amb. Oh Joon, former South Korean Ambassador to the UN
Sook Jong Lee, East Asia Institute

South Sudan:

Diing Mou Aguer, World Liberty Congress

Sudan:

Rania Mamoun, author

Sweden:

Dr. Shahriar Ahy, Iran Transition Council
Alireza Akhondi, Member of Swedish Parliament
Amb. Hans Corell, former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations

Switzerland:

Dr. Darioush Bayandor, former UN official
Jacqueline de Chollet, The Veerni Project
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch

Taiwan:

Ketty W. Chen, Vice President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Wu’er Kaixi, Tiananmen Square and Uyghur human rights activist, General Secretary, Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission

Thailand:

Nidhi Eoseewong, former Professor, recipient of the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, President, Progressive Movement

Turkey:

Zehra Dogan, artist
Enes Kanter Freedom, NBA player and human rights activist
Soli Özel, Professor, KHAS University
Ayse Kadioglu, Professor, Sabanci University

Uganda:

William Leslie Amanzuru, 2019 European Union Human Rights Defender Award winner
Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Foundation for Human Rights Initiative

Ukraine:

Yuriy Didula, Manager, Building Ukraine Together
Myroslav Marynovych, former prisoner of conscience, activist
Oleksandra Medviichuk, Chairwoman, Center for Civil Liberties
Amb. Boris Tarasyuk, Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, former Minister for Foreign Affairs

United Kingdom:

Kasra Aarabi, Iran Programme Lead, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Nazenin Ansari, Kayhan Publications
Nancy Bermeo, Nuffield Senior Research Fellow, Oxford University
Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign
Simon Callow, Artist
Dr. Emman El-Badawy, Director, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Dr. Paul Flather, Professor, Oxford University
Dr. David Hirsh, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London and Academic Director of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism
Alan Johnson, Editor, Fathom Journal

Alan Mendoza, Executive Director, Henry Jackson Society
Jamie Palmer, Senior Editor, Quillette
Sharan Tabari, Media Watch Consultancy
Aatish Taseer, author

United States of America:

Ammar Abdulhamid, President, Tharwa Foundation
Michael Abramowitz, President, Freedom House
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Maisoon al-Amarneh, Development Consultant, Women’s Learning Partnership
Goli Ameri, former US Assistant Secretary of State
Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union
Reza Aslan, author
Akbar Atri, Co-founder and Director E-Collaborative for Civic Education/Tavaana & Tavaana Tech
Paul Auster, author
Leila Austin, Executive Director, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
Hussein Banai, Associate Professor, Indiana University at Bloomington
Anthony Banbury, President and CEO, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Ali Banuazizi, Professor, Boston College
Ahmad Batebi, journalist
Martha Bayles, Senior Lecturer, Boston College
Jaleh Behroozi, researcher
Paul Berman, writer
Russell Berman, Professor, Stanford University and Hoover Institution
Sheri Berman, Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University
Eric Bjornlund, President and CEO, Democracy International
Joel Brito, Director, GIRSCC ASIC CUBA
Jason Brodsky, Policy Director, United Against Nuclear Iran and the Cyrus Forum
Charlotte Bunch, founder of Center for Women’s Global Leadership
Shaun Byrnes, former Senior Foreign Service Officer
Andrew H. Card, Jr., former Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, former White House Chief of Staff, and former Secretary of Transportation
Mona Charen, Policy Editor, The Bulwark
Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security
Phyllis Chesler, author, Professor Emerita at the City University of New York (CUNY)
Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale University
Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State
Ben Cohen, author and journalist, The Algemeiner
Eliot A. Cohen, Professor
Molly Crabapple, artist, writer
Dr. David M. Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor UN Special Court for Sierra Leone
Richard J. Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy
Hon. Thomas Daschle, Chairman of the Board, National Democratic Institute (NDI), former Majority Leader of the US Senate
Lydia Davis, author
Pooya Dayanim Esq., President, Iranian Jewish Public Affairs Committee
John DeBlasio, Chairman, DT Institute 
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Donna Robinson Divine, Professor, Smith College
Amb. Paula J. Dobriansky, former US Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
William Dobson, Editor, Journal of Democracy
Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director, Stanford Global Digital Policy Incubator
Michele Dunne, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network, United States of America
Amb. Eric Edelman, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
Jessica Emami, Adjunct Lecturer, American University
Randi Epstein, Physician, Author, Yale University
Jonathan Fanton, former President, New School for Social Research

Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director, McCain Institute at Arizona State University
Amb. Lee Feinstein, former US Ambassador to Poland
Hiva Feizi, Executive Director, PaykanArtCar
Owen Fiss, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law, Yale University
David L. Fogel, Freedom House Trustee 
Hillel Fradkin, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Jonathan Franzen, author
Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
Amb. Laurie S. Fulton, former US Ambassador to Denmark
William Galston, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Šumit Ganguly, Professor, Indiana University at Bloomington
Jeff Gedmin, Co-founder, American Purpose
Jared Genser, Managing Director, Perseus Strategies
Hon. Richard Gephardt, former Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, and former Democratic Leader, US House of Representatives
Richard Gere, Actor, Gere Foundation
Reuel Marc Gerecht, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Carl Gershman, Founding President, National Endowment for Democracy
Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Advisor, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Azadeh Ghotbi, artist
Dr. Arthur Goldhammer, Harvard University,
Saeid Golkar, UC Foundation Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Alyssa Farah Griffin, Co-host of ABC’s “The View,” former White House Communications Director
Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, Founder and Director, ARAM-Iran
Lev Grossman, author
Jason Guberman, Executive Director, American Sephardi Foundation
Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia, Ukrainian Catholic Church/President, Ukrainian Catholic University,
Shahla Haeri, Professor, Boston University
Jessica Hagedorn, author
Roya Hakakian, writer, Senior Fellow, American Purpose
Thor Halvorssen, CEO, Human Rights Foundation

Dr. Deborah Harding, Retired, Soros Foundation
Heidi Hartmann, Resident Economist, American University
Leslie Hawke, The Alex Fund
John Haynes, historian and author
Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor, National Interest
Jeffrey Herf, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland
Aya Hijazi, Director, Belady, United States of America
Kim Holmes, Center for International Private Enterprise, former US Assistant Secretary of State
Robert Homans
Allison Horowski, Executive Director, Women’s Learning Partnership
Siri Hustvedt, author 
Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Dr. Jianli Yang, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China, United States
Gunther Jikeli, Associate Professor, Indiana University
Ryota Jonen, Director, World Movement for Democracy
Claire Jungman, Chief of Staff, United Against Nuclear Iran
Susan Kashaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine
Garry Kasparov, Chairman, Human Rights Foundation/World Liberty Congress
Steven Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School
Craig Kennedy, Senior Fellow, American Purpose
Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Cameron Khansarinia, Policy Director, NUFDI (National Union for Democracy in Iran)
Laya Jalilian Khave, Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychiatry, Yale University
Navid Khazanei, civil rights lawyer
Len Khodorkovsky, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Mariam Khosravani, Founder and CEO, IAW Foundation
Harvey Klehr, Andrew Mellon Professor of Politics and History Emeritus, Emory University
Howard Konar, founder of Civic Genius
David Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute
Mark Kramer, Director, Harvard University Cold War Studies
Nicole Krauss, author
William Kristol, Defending Democracy Together, former Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Anthony Kronman, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University
Amb. Daniel Kurtzer, former US Ambassador to Egypt and Israel
Anthony Lake, former National Security Advisor
Richard Landes, Professor, Boston University
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, writer and journalist
Steven Levitsky, Professor, Harvard University
Robert Lieber, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
Sarah Longwell, Longwell Partners, Defending Democracy Together
Hon. Tom Malinowski, former Member of Congress, US House of Representatives
Harlan Mandel, CEO, Media Development Investment Fund
Dr. Shaun E. Marmon, Princeton University
Paul Marshall, Professor, Baylor University
Radwan A. Masmoudi, President, Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy
Clifford D. May, President, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Michael McFaul, Professor, Stanford University
Claudia Escobar Mejia, Distinguished Professor, George Mason University
Mariam Memarsadeghi, Founder and Director, Cyrus Forum
Dr. Louis Menashe, Professor Emeritus, Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Sonya Michel, Professor Emerita, University of Maryland-College Park
Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University
Robert Miller, attorney
Tim Miller, Board Member, Defending Democracy Together
Blaise Misztal, Vice President for Policy, Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA)
Gwendolyn Mink, author
Hamid R. Moghadam, Co-founder, Iranian Studies Program, Stanford University
Dr. Reza Moridi, former Parliamentarian and Minister; Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto
Amb. Richard Morningstar, Atlantic Council, former U. Ambassador to Azerbaijan and the European Union
Joshua Muravchik, Adjunct Professor, Institute of World Politics
Firouz Naderi, former Director, Solar System Exploration, NASA
Toni Navarro, artist
Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian, President, Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation 
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Trustee, Carlson Family Foundation
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, President and CEO, Boat People SOS, United States of America
James H. Nichols Jr., Professor, Claremont McKenna College
Gabriel Noronha, former US State Department Special Advisor for Iran
Chiedo Nwankwor, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Thomas L. Pangle, Professor, University of Texas at Austin
Andrew Pessin, Professor, Connecticut College
Jason Pielemeier, Executive Director, Global Network Initiative
Marc Plattner, Coeditor Emeritus, Journal of Democracy
Serhii Plokhii, Professor, Harvard University
Ramesh Ponnuru, Editor, National Review
Rebecca S. Pringle, President, National Education Association
Andrew Prozes, Trustee, Freedom House
Dr. Nanette Pyne, Development Consultant, Women’s Learning Partnership
Anahita Rabiee MD, Yale University
Ronald Radosh, Professor Emeritus, CUNY
Gil Ribak, Associate Professor, University of Arizona
Gov. Tom Ridge, Ridge Global, First US Secretary of Homeland Security, former Governor of Pennsylvania
Rachel Beatty Riedl, Professor, Cornell University
Molly Ringwald, actor, writer, singer
Thane Rosenbaum, Professor
Susan Deller Ross, Professor, Georgetown University School of Law
Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Randy Scheunemann, Vice Chairman, International Republican Institute
Stacy Schiff, author
Gary Schmitt, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow, Niskanen Center
Alice Sebold, author
Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Executive Vice President, Freedom House
Aqil Shah, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma
Gazelle Sharmahd, political activist, Save Sharmahd Campaign
Elaine Showalter, Professor, Princeton University
Gary Shteyngart, author
Abram N. Shulsky, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Amb. Andras Simonyi, former Hungarian Ambassador
Hon. David Skaggs, National Endowment for Democracy, and former Member of the US House of Representatives
Peter Skerry, Professor, Boston College
Dan Slater, James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Amy Erica Smith, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
Timothy Snyder, Professor of History, Yale University
Abraham Socher, Editor, Jewish Review of Books

Nagwan Soliman, Nonresident Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
Amir Soltani, author
Alec Soth, photographer
Thomas P. Staudt, investor/adviser 
Sol Stern, journalist
Lior B. Sternfeld, Associate Professor, Penn State University
Kathryn Stoner, Mosbacher Director, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University
Charles Sykes, Editor at-Large, The Bulwark
Ray Takeyh, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Amy Tan, author
Betty Tompkins, artist

Mark Tooley, President, Institute on Religion and Democracy
Michael Totten, writer
Joshua A. Tucker, Professor, New York University
Tung Nguyen, President, Vietnam Human Rights Network, United States of America
Amb. Robert Tuttle, former US Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Daniel Twining, President, International Republican Institute
Anne Tyler, author
Dr. Mehri Vafa, Women’s Learning Partnership
Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Amb. Alexander Vershbow, former US Ambassador to Russia, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, Atlantic Council
Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security
Isabelle Vladoiu, Founder, US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights
Gen. Joseph L. Votel, US Army (Ret.), former Commanding General, US Central Command, Freedom House Trustee
Christopher Walker, Vice President for Studies and Analysis, National Endowment for Democracy
Amb. Mark Wallace, CEO, United Against Nuclear Iran
George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
Leon Wieseltier, Editor, Liberties Journal
Jody Williams, United States of America, Nobel Women’s Initiative, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize 
Andrew Wilson, Executive Director, Center for International Private Enterprise
Damon Wilson, National Endowment for Democracy
Ruth Wisse, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
Xiao Qiang, Founder and Chief Editor, China Digital Times
Xiyue Wang, Ph.D. candidate, Princeton University and former US hostage in Iran 
Idan Ben Yakir, Senior Policy and Operations Associate, Global Network Initiative

Venezuela:

Dr. Tamara Adrian, Member of the Venezuelan National Assembly
Leopoldo Lopez, World Liberty Congress
Moisés Naim, Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Horacio Siciliano, artist

Vietnam:

Mai Khoi, artist
Tung Nguyen, President, Vietnam Human Rights Network

Yemen:

Tawakkol Karman, human rights activist, Journalist, Politician, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

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