We, the undersigned human rights organizations, humanitarian organizations, civil liberties groups, religious and environmental organizations, think tanks, and experts, are deeply concerned about the threat made on April 7 by President Trump against Iran. He stated, “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands are not met. Such remarks indicate a serious threat of potential genocide if carried out. Genocide, as defined by international law, involves acts committed with the intent to destroy a national, racial, or religious group in whole or in part.
International law clearly prohibits the targeting of civilians and mandates their protection from indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks. Strikes on civilian infrastructure, like the recent attack on a bridge or the potential targeting of power plants as threatened by President Trump, have devastating consequences for civilian populations and the environment.
We call on all parties to respect international law, hold individuals accountable for atrocities, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, and remind military personnel of their duty to reject manifestly illegal orders. Anyone issuing or executing the President’s hateful threats will be held accountable.
Signed organizations:
Amnesty International USA Human Rights Watch Oxfam America Refugees International 99 Coalition Action Center on Race and the Economy Al Otro Lado Aldea – Centre de justice populaire American Atheists American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER) American Friends Service Committee American Muslims for Palestine American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) ANAR Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) ATHENA Network Back from the Brink: Bringing Communities Together to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Baltimore, MD Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter Veterans For Peace Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) Center for Gender & Refugee Studies Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law Center for International Environmental Law Center for International Policy Center for Victims of Torture Center on Conscience and War Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility Christians for a Free Palestine (CFP) Church World Service Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) Common Defense Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Region Council for a Livable World Council for Global Equality Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) cylindr DAWN DAYLIGHT | Rule of Law, Access to Justice, Advocacy Defending Rights & Dissent Demand Progress Emerald Pademelon Press LLC Femena Feminism Makes Us Smarter LLC Foreign Policy for America Foundation for Middle East Peace Friends Committee on National Legislation Fund for Global Human Rights Georgetown Center for Asian Law Girls for Gender Equity Grassroots Global Justice Alliance Haitian Bridge Alliance HALT Solitary Campaign Help Me Leave Human Rights Activists (in Iran) HRA Human Rights First Humanity United IfNotNow Movement IMEU Policy Project Impact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project Institute for Policy Studies, National Priorities Project Interconnected Justice International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) International Mayan League / Liga Maya Internacional Just Detention International KNR Sisters Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) Latin America Working Group Lawyers for Good Government Legal Empowerment Portal Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School Loretto Link MADRE Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Miaan Group Migrant Roots Media Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild MPower Change Action Fund Muslim Advocates NAACP National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Iranian American Council Action National Partnership for New Americans NBJC Oasis Legal Services Ohio Immigrant Alliance Open Society Foundations P Street Peace Action Peace Action, New York State Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW! PEN America Physicians for Human Rights Physicians for Social Responsibility Ploughshares Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Project On Government Oversight Public Citizen Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Quixote Center Refugee Council USA Reparations Pledge Reparations4Slavery ReThinking Foreign Policy Rising Majority Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center RootsAction Saferworld Savie ASBL NGO LGBTQ DRC September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Signal Research and Resilience Initiative Sierra Leone RSquare Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Stanley Center for Peace and Security Susquehanna Valley Presbytery’s Justice in Mission & Ministry Team Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice The Reckoning Project The Sentry The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society The Workers Circle Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (CAREs) Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) United for Iran Unlock the Box: The National Campaign to End Solitary Confinement War Prevention Initiative We Are All America (WAAA) Welcoming America Western States Legal Foundation Win Without War Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) Women’s Foundation California Women’s March World BEYOND War Woven Foundation
Individuals (for reference only):
Afshin Samali, University of Galway Alexandra Toma, Peace and Security Funders Group Ambassador (Ret.) Alexander F. Watson Ambassador (Ret.) Deborah Malac Anne C. Richard, former Deputy Secretary of State, 2012-2017 Anne Peniston, retired from USAID Annie Pforzheimer, City University of New York Anthony Tirado Chase, Occidental College Arsalan Suleman, former U.S. Acting Special Envoy to the OIC Aryeh Neier, Open Society Foundations Aurelia Brazeal, U.S. Department of State (retired) Bama Athreya, Executive Director of ICRW Americas Begona Sangrador-Vegas, University of Galway Bill Galvin, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship; Center on Conscience & War Brian Peniston, ACLU member Bruce Gillette, Susquehanna Valley Presbytery’s Justice in Mission & Ministry Team Charles O. (Cob) Blaha, Senior Advisor at DAWN Christine Kraemer, Trinity Church of Austin Corbin B. Lyday, former Senior Policy Analyst, USAID Daniel Cole, Quaker, Center on Conscience and War Daryl G. Kimball, Arms Control Association David Dyssegaard Kallick, Immigration Research Initiative Elham Youssefian, advocate for rights of disabled persons Elisa Massimino, Executive Director, Human Rights Institute, Georgetown Law School Eric P. Schwartz, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota Fleurian Filkins, Advocacy director at Help Me Leave Gabriele Kühler, Wecf Geeta Rao Gupta, Arch Collaborative Gerald Feierstein, Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Ghazal MIYAR, Sciences Po Paris Grove Harris, Temple of Understanding Hadar Harris, Rights and Justice Consulting Heather Davison, Western States Legal Foundation Heather Hogan, former State Department official Jane Kinninmont, United Nations Association – UK Janet Drew, AFSC Jeff Abramson, Center for International Policy Jennifer Trahan, NYU Center for Global Affairs Jessica John, CIA analyst (former) Jon Temin, former State Department official Jonah Blank, former Director of Policy for South and Southeast Asia, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Kavita N Ramdas, KNR Sisters Kenneth Roth, Visiting Professor at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Leslie Rowe, Ambassador (retired) Mani Mostofi, Executive Director, Miaan Group Mardi Veiluva, Western States Legal Foundation, Oakland, CA Nancy McEldowney, former National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States Niloufar Omidi, human rights lawyer Pamela L. Spratlen, Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) Rebecca A. Shoot, coalition ImPact co-organizer for strengthening international judicial institutions ; Washington working group for the ICC Roman Avramenko, The Reckoning Project Salim Ishmail Kondoh, Stop the War Saqib Bhatti, Action Center on Race and the Economy Saskia Brechenmacher, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Sekar Jasmine Noegroho, Columbia University Shahed Ghoreishi, former State Department official Shannon Kowalski, gender equality and human rights expert Shannon Raj Singh, Athena Tech & Atrocities Advisory Sister Mary Ann McGivern, Sister of Loretto Skylar Thompson, Deputy Director, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) Soheila Comninos, SC Consulting Susan Waltz, retired professor, University of Michigan Susana T Fried, Just Futures Collaborative Terry Kay Rockefeller, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Varina Winder, former State Department official Yasmine Taeb, human rights lawyer
And many more…
