We, the undersigned, call on FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and all international sports governing bodies to immediately suspend the Islamic Republic of Iran from international competitions until it ceases systematic human rights violations against its people.

 

Sports must not be used as a propaganda tool for regimes that commit crimes against humanity.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and international law. Peaceful protesters have been met with lethal force, mass arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and executions. Internet blackouts and censorship have been imposed to conceal these crimes.

 

Allowing Iran’s national teams to compete under the flag and authority of this regime legitimizes state violence and whitewashes ongoing atrocities.

 

International sports organizations have taken principled action in the past:

 

Russia was suspended following its invasion of Ukraine.
South Africa was banned during the apartheid era.

 

 

These precedents affirm that sports bodies are not neutral when basic human rights are violated.

 

We do not hold Iranian athletes responsible for the crimes of the regime. On the contrary, many athletes have been silenced, threatened, or punished for expressing solidarity with the people of Iran. Our demand is directed solely at the Islamic Republic and its use of sports as political propaganda.

 

We therefore call on international sports authorities to:

 

Suspend Iran’s participation in international competitions until verifiable human rights reforms occur.
Prevent the Islamic Republic from using sports events for political legitimacy.
Stand with the people of Iran and the universal values of human dignity, freedom, and justice.

 

 

Silence is complicity. Sports must not normalize repression.

 

Until the Islamic Republic stops killing its own people, it must not be allowed to represent them on the world stage.