Nobel Laureates Urge Action on Iran as 113 Signatories Condemn Killings and Execution Surge

A group of 113 Nobel Prize laureates issued a statement condemning the “shocking” human-rights violations in Iran, including killings of demonstrators and a surge in executions, and urged world leaders to take “practical steps” to support calls for political change. They cited Tehran’s cross-border actions as fueling violence abroad.

The signatories said security forces opened fire on protesters who have demonstrated since late December against repression, corruption and inflation. They stated that the use of lethal force was ordered by the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader and cited “credible human rights reports” claiming thousands were killed. The statement also accused authorities of storming hospitals to shoot or arrest wounded protesters and transferring detainees to “horrific” detention conditions.

The laureates said protesters are demanding freedom and rejecting dictatorship “whether monarchical or religious,” calling instead for a democratic, pluralistic republic free of corruption. Citing official statistics, the statement said Iran executed more than 2,200 people in 2025, including 403 in December alone.

The group welcomed condemnations by the United Nations Secretary-General and other figures and called for pressure and support for the uprising. Signatories listed include President Jose Ramos-Horta, former Polish president Lech Walesa, and economist Daron Acemoglu.

Statement by Nobel Laureates on Human Rights Violations in Iran

January 2026

We, the Nobel Laureates, express our deep and remorseful concern at the gross and shocking violations of the rights of Iranian citizens and their massacres by the dictatorial regime in Iran. The regime’s behavior, both in its relentless repression of the Iranian people and in its cross-border actions that fuel violence around the world, has raised serious concerns for the consciences of all civilized peoples.

We particularly strongly condemn the use of lethal weapons and the opening of fire on Iranian demonstrators, ordered by the regime’s Supreme Leader. Demonstrators have taken to the streets since late December to protest against repression, structural corruption, systematic looting, and rampant inflation. Credible human rights reports show that thousands of innocent citizens have lost their lives to security forces, and regime agents have even stormed hospitals and shot the wounded or arrested them and transferred them to detention centers with horrific conditions.

The demonstrators, shouting for freedom, reject any dictatorship, whether monarchical or religious, and call for a democratic, pluralistic, and corruption-free republic. To prevent this uprising, the Iranian regime has executed more than 2,200 people in 2025 alone, according to official statistics. The number of executions recorded in December 2025 alone reached a shocking and unprecedented figure of 403. Despite such brutal and shameless repression, the regime has not been able to prevent the uprising of the freedom loving and courageous people of Iran. They deserve the strong and unwavering support of the free world.

We, the Nobel Prize laureates, welcome the position of the UN Secretary-General and other world leaders in condemning the repression and killing of demonstrators in Iran, and call on them to support and take practical steps to support the Iranian people’s uprising for change, freedom, and social justice, thereby helping Iran join the community of democratic nations.