Recent reports indicate continued violent repression of protesters, restrictions on communication, and attacks that put civilians, including children and vulnerable communities, at severe risk. We emphasise that the protection of civilians is a cornerstone of international humanitarian law. Any actions that deliberately target or recklessly endanger non-combatants, schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure constitute violations of widely recognised legal norms. Peaceful protest and civic engagement are protected under international human rights law, and the suppression of these rights is unacceptable. We call on all parties to fully respect international law and to ensure that civilian life and infrastructure are safeguarded.
Furthermore, we condemn the attack by the United States and Israel against Iran during diplomatic negotiations, and we equally condemn Iran’s retaliatory attacks against neighbouring countries, states of the Persian Gulf, and Israel. These violent escalations destroy room for dialogue and peace, devastate civilian and economic infrastructure, and have already caused thousands of casualties, with consequences that extend far beyond the region.
We ask global civil society, citizens, and the international community to hold their governments accountable for their silence or contribution to this war, to advocate publicly for peace and humanity, and to stand in solidarity with all citizens in the Middle East who are its ultimate victims.
Outbreak of war and regional escalation
On the morning of February 28, 2026, the United States and the State of Israel launched a joint military attack against Iran. In the first hours of the war, the United States and Israel killed Iran’s political and military leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Strikes also hit civilian targets, including a primary school in the city of Minab, where Iran reports killing 168 girls between 6 and 12 years old. Up until now (12th day of the war), more than a thousand civilians have been killed in Iran. In retaliation, Iran initiated large-scale missile and drone attacks against US bases in multiple countries, economic and energy targets across the Persian Gulf states, and civilian infrastructure, including residential areas, airports, and public buildings, in at least nine countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. Casualties have been reported across the region.
These developments raise grave concerns about the protection of civilians and the respect for international humanitarian law. All parties to the conflict have a clear obligation to protect civilian lives and civilian infrastructure, to distinguish at all times between military and civilian targets, and to avoid indiscriminate attacks.
The outbreak of hostilities also occurred during a period of diplomatic engagement, undermining trust in peaceful negotiation and further complicating prospects for a diplomatic resolution.
At the same time, Iranian authorities have imposed severe restrictions domestically, including shutting down the internet and suppressing dissent. Iranian civil society actors have long warned that military escalation and external force do not support sustainable change, but instead risk further shrinking civic space and deepening instability in Iran and the wider region.
Why this matters beyond the Middle East
These events carry consequences for the entire international order. When international law is violated without consequences, when violence against civilians and civilian infrastructure is tolerated, and when civil society is marginalised and silenced, the international system of justice and human rights itself is at risk. If we allow these precedents to stand, they will define the future of international relations and affect every nation.
Our call to action
We call for immediate and sustained collective international action to ensure that fundamental freedoms, human dignity, and international legal obligations are respected in Iran and the Middle East.
We, the undersigned, call on civil society actors, media, and global citizens around the world to:
- Hold governments accountable. Demand that your government actively take a stance against violence and violations of international law. Silence supports the aggressors and allows the scale of this conflict to grow. Collective global action is required.
- Raise public awareness. Inform citizens about foreign policy decisions, trends in international relations and international law, and the consequences of political choices. Draw attention to violations of international law, warn against cynicism when diplomacy is met with war, and communicate the global consequences of unchecked violence.
- Stand in solidarity with civil society in the Middle East. Support independent civil society across the region. Change comes from power, and power comes from organising. By collectively saying no to war, across borders, civil society can form bridges and pursue change from within. For this, the solidarity and support of the international community are instrumental.
We call on governments and international forums for diplomacy to:
- Prevent further escalation and destruction. Call for immediate restraint by all parties, stimulate dialogue, and unequivocally condemn violations of international law, regardless of who commits them. The United Nations Security Council and regional bodies must act decisively rather than remain paralysed by geopolitical allegiance.
- Hold states and actors accountable. Ensure that violations of international law, including attacks on civilian infrastructure, the use of diplomacy as cover for military action, and disproportionate use of force, are investigated and met with consequences. Accountability is not optional; it is the foundation on which any lasting peace must be built.
- Invest in peacebuilding and trust-building. Work actively to restore the conditions for multilateral diplomacy and fair negotiation. This means rebuilding trust shattered by the repeated use of negotiations as a prelude to attack, supporting neutral mediators, and ensuring that all parties, including civil society, have a seat at the table. Without credible diplomacy, the cycle of escalation will only continue.
Volunteer Activists
Partos