Whenever, in the course of history, a government ceases to be a guardian of human rights and becomes an instrument for their violation; whenever political power is not derived from the free will of the people but imposed upon them; and whenever a ruling order denies or suppresses the life, liberty, dignity, and equality of its citizens—then the people, by virtue of their natural and historical right, are both entitled and obligated to change that order and to found a new one.

We affirm and bear witness that every human being is born with inalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Governments are instituted not to grant these rights, but to safeguard them, and they are deserving of obedience only insofar as they fulfill this duty.

The nation of Iran, as a unified historical, cultural, and territorial whole, is the sole and unquestionable holder of sovereignty over its own destiny. We declare that individual freedoms, the full equality of all citizens regardless of gender, belief, ethnicity, language, or social origin, and the equal right to participation in political and civic life are non-negotiable principles of a free Iranian society. Any government that suppresses these freedoms, codifies discrimination, or subordinates the individual to ideology is, by its very nature, a violator of the nation’s natural rights.

We further affirm that the separation of religion from the state is a necessary condition for social peace and civic equality. Faith is a personal and freely chosen matter; when it becomes an instrument of political power, it corrupts religion and renders the state despotic. A government that claims to represent an absolute religious truth is, by necessity, opposed to human freedom and the right of choice.

On this basis, and drawing upon the lived experience of the Iranian people, we have long since reached the inescapable conclusion that the regime known as the “Islamic Republic,” both in its theoretical foundations and in its practical conduct, has systematically violated natural rights, individual freedoms, equality of citizenship, and the sovereignty of the Iranian nation; and therefore lacks any legitimacy or competence to continue ruling this land.

We declare that the right to determine the future form of government belongs exclusively, and without any ideological precondition, to the people of Iran. This right must be exercised through a free, universal, transparent referendum conducted under impartial national and international supervision, so that the Iranian people may, through their informed and conscious will, choose their desired political system and government. We believe—and firmly emphasize—that the future government of Iran, whatever form it may take by the choice of the people, must be founded upon these principles:

The preservation of Iran’s territorial integrity;
the protection of individual freedoms and the full equality of all citizens;
the separation of religion from the state;
and the sovereignty of the people exercised through democratic and accountable mechanisms.

In support of this declaration, with faith in the power of the Iranian people and trust in the justice of history, we acknowledge our historical responsibility to the generations of today and tomorrow, and we commit ourselves to spare no effort in establishing freedom, guaranteed by just laws that uphold human dignity, and the sovereignty of the people in Iran.

Iran.
2584 / 2026 / 1404.

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