Dear Senator

We, the undersigned scholars of Wisconsin, respectfully urge you to take immediate and impactful action in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Iran.

In recent days, Iran has witnessed massive and widespread peaceful protests that have been met with extreme and disproportionate use of deadly force by Iranian regime security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated units reportedly deployed to suppress civilians. According to reports from human-rights organizations, journalists, and eyewitnesses, large numbers of civilians have been killed, thousands arrested, and many more seriously injured through the use of military-grade weapons, the use of which against civilian populations is strictly prohibited under international human-rights law.

Due to fear of arrest, surveillance, and retaliation, many injured individuals are reportedly afraid to seek medical treatment, as hospitals have been monitored and patients detained. There are also widespread reports that injured protesters have been forcibly removed from hospital beds and killed. Published footage has shown victims with medical equipment still attached and fatal gunshot wounds, raising grave concerns about extrajudicial killings. At the same time, the Iranian regime has imposed severe communication restrictions, including widespread internet complete blackout, to prevent information and reports of their crimes from reaching the outside world. There are also credible reports of intimidation of medical staff and journalists, as well as systematic efforts to remove or conceal evidence, including surveillance footage. These actions have made independent verification extremely difficult and leave the true scale of casualties unknown. However, multiple sources have reported figures exceeding 36,000 deaths within 2 days, and a recent update from the International Center for Human Rights (ICHR) has confirmed, based on sources inside Iran, that at least 43,000 people have been killed, with over 350,000 severely injured and tens of thousands arrested.

In his January 18, 2026 speech, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic regime, Ali Khamenei, acknowledged a significant loss of life, referring to the deaths of thousands of people. Some international human-rights lawyers and legal experts have argued that the scale and systematic nature of these killings may meet elements of genocide under international law.

The Iranian people are courageously demanding a democratic system of governance, peaceful relations with the free world, and their fundamental rights to dignity, freedom, and self-determination. Their voices and demands must not be met with silence; therefore, the Iranian diaspora seeks to serve as their voice in this enforced silence.

We respectfully ask you, as United States Senators representing Wisconsin, to:

1.      Publicly condemn the violent repression of peaceful protesters in Iran.

2.      Advocate for emergency Senate hearings on human-rights abuses and crimes against humanity in Iran.

3.      Support further targeted sanctions against officials responsible for ordering or carrying out violence against civilians.

4.      Press the U.S. administration, including President Donald Trump, to formally recognize that decades of diplomatic and political engagement with the Iranian regime have failed and to lead decisive international intervention, beyond statements, negotiations, or sanctions alone, to stop mass atrocities, neutralize the regime’s capacity for violent repression, and support the Iranian people in exercising their right to self-determination,  an outcome that would contribute to long-term regional stability and global peace.

5.      Urge the U.S. government and private technology companies to provide free and accessible internet and communication tools to the Iranian people, as the regime continues to deliberately sever communication channels to suppress protests, control information, and advance state propaganda.

6.      Support efforts at the United Nations to establish independent international investigations into these abuses.

The United States has long stood for human rights and freedom. Silence in the face of mass repression and massacre, risks signaling acceptance of these grave abuses.

We urge you to stand with the Iranian people and use your voice and authority in the Senate to demand accountability, protection for civilians, and respect for fundamental human rights.

Many Iranian-Americans and a broad majority of Iranians inside and outside of the Iran support Reza Pahlavi as a unifying transitional figure to guide the country toward a national referendum and a peaceful transition to a democratic secular system. A free and democratic Iran would once again be a constructive partner and ally of the free world, contributing to lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Respectfully,
Concerned Scholars of Madison, Wisconsin