We defend the struggles of the people of Iran for liberation and social justice

We, the undersigned 23 independent Iranian women’s organizations, defend the struggles of the people of Iran for liberation and social justice!

This time, the rise in the dollar exchange rate was the spark that ignited the current uprising across the streets of Iran ,  an uprising for livelihood and for freedom.

The uprisings of recent years ,  especially the December 2017 uprising, the November 2019 uprising, and the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising ,  each began with a small spark: from the rising price of bread, to the rise in gasoline prices, to the killing of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, which triggered an uprising rooted in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement against the patriarchal, capitalist, and repressive order of the Islamic Republic.

This uprising is a continuation of that same movement,  this time sparked by the unprecedented rise in the dollar and gasoline prices, which are directly tied to the rising cost of bread and other basic necessities of life, including medicine, housing, and education. The lower classes of society ,  from workers, street vendors, retirees, and teachers to nurses and other working people,  can no longer secure their livelihood. The economic situation of women and children is especially alarming.

People have taken to the streets against structural poverty, discrimination, inequality, and dictatorship. Despite the heavy costs of street repression, they continue to stand. According to verified data from HRANA, at least 2,303 protesters, including 12 children,  have been killed, and more than 18,000 people have been arrested. Despite repression under conditions of internet shutdown, protests continue in 187 cities across Iran. This regime has been unable to resolve its intertwined structural crises and has no response to protests other than bullets and executions. With internet shutdowns and restrictions, it has also prepared for even broader repression.

Meanwhile, the radicalization of the people’s struggle has also threatened the interests of imperialist powers. As a result, we are witnessing attempts to appropriate the people’s movement,  through U.S. threats of military intervention, propaganda by monarchist forces, and the fabrication of videos of people’s struggles to serve these groups. Major Persian-language media outlets abroad have also become loudspeakers for these authoritarian currents.

We condemn any military intervention by foreign countries and their supporters, drawing on the experience of the U.S.-backed coup of August 19, 1953, in Iran and the recent U.S. military attack on Venezuela. We insist on the independence of the country and reject any military or political intervention that would eliminate the political agency of the people.

We, the 23 independent women’s organizations outside Iran, follow the situation inside the country with deep concern and declare our solidarity with the ongoing struggles of the people for freedom, social justice, and human dignity. We demand the immediate release of all those arrested in the recent uprising, as well as the immediate release of all political prisoners and civil activists.

We speak with one voice: we demand the liberation of the people from the miserable domination of the Islamic Republic. We consider the only viable alternative to be a democratic one,  free of all forms of discrimination and inequality ,  arising from the heart of the struggles of the people of Iran.

Our slogan forever: Woman, Life, Freedom

January 2026 

Together for Women’s Health Foundation
Free Iranian Women’s Association – Italy
Dallas Iranian Women’s Association
Iranian-German Women’s Association in Cologne, Germany
Iranian Women’s Association of Parto
Iranian Women’s Association Montreal
MeToo Movement Iran
Iranian Circle of Women for International Networking (ICWIN)
Women for Sustainable Freedom and Equality
Iranian Women Activists in Exile – Berlin
IKERO Women’s Rights Organization
IWIN Iranian Women in Network
The Organization for Emancipation of Women
Everyday Feminism
Forum of Iranian Women in Vienna
Collective of Woman, Life, Freedom – Rome
Campaign to Stop Honor Killings
Gender Equality Committee of Solidarity of Iranian Republicans
Left Unity of Women
Zanan Group in Northern California
Orange County Women’s Study Group
Mannav LGBTQ Community – Sweden
Iranian Women’s Assembly in Hanover