September 29, 2022: Eleven Nobel Laureates issued a joint letter and expressed their support for nationwide protests of the Iranian people.

Nobel Laureates wrote in their letter: “We, the Nobel Laureates signing this letter, condemn the heinous murder of Mahsa Amini, and we believe that Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the regime, and Ebrahim Raisi should be held accountable. We also strongly condemn the brutal suppression and killing of demonstrators who are protesting the religious fascism ruling Iran and demanding freedom, elimination of discrimination against women, and the establishment of democracy in Iran.”

The full text of the joint letter and the names of the signatories are as follows:

Joint Letter of Nobel Laureates on the widespread demonstration of Iranian people on the tragic murder of Mahsa Amini

September 29

Following the murder of a young woman, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested and beaten by the police in Iran on the pretext of wearing a veil, we are witnessing widespread domestic and international protests.

Iranian people, especially women, started peaceful protests to achieve their most basic rights but unfortunately, they were met with violence by the government forces. According to the report of the Iranian Resistance, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), so far, about 200 protesters have been killed by government forces with war bullets and nearly 10,000 of them have been arrested in 140 cities.

The protestors showed their opposition to the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and his appointed president, Raisi. The killing was inevitable following the president’s order to deploy a much wider morality police force to violently enforce the country’s mandatory veiling laws. Previously, many Nobel laureates have condemned the president for his role in the death commission, which ordered the massacre of about 30,000 political prisoners in Iran in 1988 and repeated the words of Amnesty International that Raisi must face justice.

In addition to dignitaries and international human rights and social organizations, many leaders of countries and high-ranking officials of the world from both sides of the Atlantic have condemned this heinous murder and supported the demands of the people during nationwide protests.

We, the Nobel Laureates signing this letter, condemn the heinous murder of Mahsa Amini, and we believe that Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the regime, and Ebrahim Raisi should be held accountable. We also strongly condemn the brutal suppression and killing of demonstrators who are protesting the religious fascism ruling Iran and demanding freedom, elimination of discrimination against women, and the establishment of democracy in Iran, and we demand the immediate release of those arrested. We ask the United Nations to send its delegations to Iran to visit Iranian prisons.

Signatories:

• Professor Elias Corey, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1990, USA
• Professor Brian Kobilka, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2012, USA
• Professor Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize, Literature 2010, Peru
• Professor Barry Barish, Nobel Prize, Physics 2017, USA
• Professor Alan Heeger, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2000, USA
• Professor Sheldon Glashow, Nobel Prize, Physics, 1979, USA
• Professor John Mather, Nobel Prize, Physics 2006, USA
• Professor Danny Shechtman, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2011, Israel
• Professor Jerome Friedman, Nobel Prize, Physics 1990, USA
• Professor David Wineland, Nobel Prize, Physics 2012, USA
• Professor Dudley Herschbach, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1986, USA

The PDF version of the letter with the full names of the signatories can be accessed at the following link: