We, the undersigned, belong to the international academic community. We call on all academics to defend faculty and students in Iran, and demand the immediate release of all student activists from the prisons of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian academics are under attack. Following the brutal murder of #mahsa_amini, and the Iranians’ uprising for their basic human rights, the Islamic Republic regime has dramatically increased its oppression of university students and faculty. On Oct 2, police forces attacked students inside Sharif University. Students were teargassed, beaten, shot, and many were arrested without any disclosure of their whereabouts. These brutal and oppressive acts are not limited to Sharif University, and nearly all Iranian universities that dare voice their opposition to the regime’s brutality are facing the same crackdown.

We strongly condemn the recent attacks on Iran’s universities, including the recent attack on Sharif University, and hold Rasoul Jalili, the state-appointed chancellor of the university, along with other suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic, responsible for this vicious and cowardly act. We strongly praise the bravery of our colleagues who risk their lives and careers for adhering to their academic duty, standing alongside their students and other freedom-fighting protesters. 

We urge:

• An immediate ban of academics with known history of human rights violations who have also been involved in, or supportive of, the organized attacks on the students from international scientific and artistic communities, including barring them from membership, annual meetings, and publications.

• Immediate support for the academics who have stood side-by-side, and have risked their careers and lives to ensure the safety of their students. We propose and pursue the establishment of an award supporting these academics to ensure their continual engagement, and increased collaborations, with the international academic community. 

• Broader participation of the international academic community in supporting and amplifying the voices of Iranian academics. 

• International scientific and industrial collaborations for the restoration of public, secured and unrestricted internet access for all Iranians.

We further stand in solidarity with all those fighting for human rights in Iran. We demand the immediate release of all political prisoners, including all university students. We strongly condemn the systematic and brutal crackdown, torture and killing of women, student activists and other protestors, and urge the international community to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for their atrocities.