Iranianwomen

By the Strategic Research Center for Women and Family, Organization of Basij Professors of Iran

A group of Iranian female university professors has issued a trilingual open letter—in Persian, Arabic, and English—to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. In this letter, they condemn the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, calling for an immediate end to Israeli attacks and urging the global community to take decisive action to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

His Excellency Mr. António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations

Dear Sir,

With our utmost respect,

As you are undoubtedly aware, the inhumane and deplorable conditions endured by the oppressed yet resilient people of Gaza have precipitated an unprecedented catastrophe before the eyes of humanity. This situation is profoundly distressing for any conscientious individual, particularly for women of deep empathy and emotion, compassionate mothers, and caring guardians.

The escalating war crimes and inhumane actions perpetrated by the child-killing Zionist regime, in blatant violation of international law, human rights principles, and fundamental ethical standards, continue to intensify, creating harrowing and inconceivable scenes that bring shame upon humanity, international institutions, and human rights organizations—scenes that history will never forget.

Undoubtedly, these unprecedented crimes and savage acts are being carried out with the comprehensive and malicious support of the criminal United States, some European governments, the acquiescence of so‑called democratic and freedom‑loving governments of the world, the complicity of some governments ostensibly sharing kinship and ethnicity with the Palestinians, and the passivity and inaction of the custodians of peace and security, including the United Nations. The responsibility for this, in these intolerable circumstances, rests squarely with you.

This occurs amid official reports documenting horrific crimes over the past 20 months, including but not limited to:

1. More than 60,000 Palestinians killed in aerial bombardments by the occupying regime;
2. Over 146,000 individuals suffering severe injuries, including disabilities;
3. Numerous children who lost their lives or face death due to malnutrition;
4. Attacks on legally protected humanitarian and international centers such as UNRWA, the Red Crescent, and charitable foundations;
5. War crimes through the use of prohibited weapons and barbaric behaviors in violation of legal and humanitarian standards;
6. The weaponization of water, food, medicine, and sanitation as tools of mass destruction;
7. The targeting of bread and food distribution centers as traps for massacring civilians, including the direct shooting of children and women;
8. Continuous bombardments of health facilities, including hospitals, schools, and refugee camps;
9. The loss of life among countless wounded and patients due to medical blockades and shortages of sanitary and therapeutic resources;
10. Attacks on universities and academic centers, resulting in the martyrdom of dozens of professors and students;
11. Desecration and destruction of mosques, churches, and temples;
12. Repeated deliberate attacks on journalists and media personnel;
13. Persistent violations of established ceasefires;
14. Attacks or seizures of ships carrying humanitarian aid from around the world.

Your Excellency,

The foundational philosophy and ultimate objective of international human rights institutions are none other than the enforcement of human rights laws and the fulfillment of the rights of nations and peoples—a responsibility that rests with you as the head of this international institution. Numerous fundamental human rights principles have been violated, including but not limited to:

1. Article 54 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting the use of food as a weapon;
2. Articles 50, 51, 130, and 147 of the four Geneva Conventions, and Articles 11 and 85 of Additional Protocol I, violated through deliberate targeting of civilians, relief units, and civilian property;
3. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 17 of Additional Protocol II, prohibiting forced displacement—constituting a crime against humanity;
4. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;
5. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
6. Article 25(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming the right to an adequate standard of living;
7. Article 55(1) and (2) of the UN Charter, ensuring the right to life, employment, economic progress, and health;
8. The Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization, upholding the right to the highest attainable standard of health and access to medicines and treatment;
9. Article 12(2)(c)(d) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, affirming the right to prevent epidemics and to access medical treatment and supplies;
10. The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its Additional Protocols of 1977, ensuring the protection of civilians in wartime;
11. Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, requiring free passage of humanitarian supplies for children and mothers;
12. Article 69(1) of Additional Protocol I, mandating essential provisions for survival;
13. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, affirming the right to life;
14. Article 4(2) of the same Covenant, emphasizing this right even during emergencies;
15. Article 1(2) common to both Covenants, prohibiting deprivation of peoples of their means of subsistence;
16. Article 11(2) of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, affirming this as a fundamental human right.

We, a group of female professors from universities in Iran, hereby express our profound sympathy with the mothers, women, and all residents of the Gaza Strip. We declare our abhorrence of the inhumane and criminal actions of the occupying regime and request that Your Excellency pursue the prosecution of the criminal Prime Minister of the Zionist regime. We remind you once again of your responsibilities under the explicit provisions of international law.

It is our hope that this letter may contribute to your efforts, along with those of other heads of United Nations institutions and human rights organizations, in ending the oppressive actions of the Zionist regime and its supporting governments, thereby preventing the genocide of hundreds of innocent lives.

Copies to:

• Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Dr. Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
• Ms. Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
• Dr. Pierre Krähenbühl, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross
• President of the United Nations Security Council
• President of the United Nations General Assembly
• Director-General of the World Health Organization
• President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

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From: basijnews