Statement of Solidarity With the People of Iran

We, at Golden Thread Productions, stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Iran who have risen, once again, in peaceful protest to demand economic justice, fundamental freedoms, and basic human rights. Across cities and provinces, ordinary citizens—students, workers, women, retirees, and young people—have risked everything to make their voices heard.

The response of the Iranian authorities has been brutal and unprecedented even by the Islamic Republic standards. According to independent human rights monitors, the recent crackdown resulted, within a matter of two to three days, in thousands to, and possibly tens of thousands of deaths and even more arrests, followed by arbitrary mass detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and intimidation of victims’ families. Communications blackouts and severe restrictions on journalists have made full documentation difficult, but the unprecedented scale of the repression is clear and deeply alarming.**

As an American theater company devoted to the Middle East, we recognize that solidarity with the Iranian people also requires historical honesty and moral consistency when it comes to the destabilizing role our own government has played in the region. From derailing Iran’s democratic trajectory in the 1950’s, to the more recent imposition of broad and indiscriminate sanctions that punish ordinary Iranians while fueling rampant corruption by state actors, to the bombings in 2025 and the current threats of more military action, the U.S. government policy toward Iran has exacerbated social and economic distress among ordinary citizens. 

This historical and contemporary context is not in any way intended to diminish the responsibility of Iranian authorities for the horrific violence the government has inflicted against its own civilians. Rather, it underscores that the Iranian people have long borne the costs of both domestic repression and geopolitical power struggles that continue to this very day.

Equally troubling has been the response of the international community and the relative scarcity and inconsistency of much needed media coverage. While statements of concern have been issued, meaningful and coordinated action has too often fallen short of the urgency required. The world must not look away. Solidarity requires action.

We call upon governments, international institutions, and civil society worldwide to:

• Unequivocally condemn the use of lethal force against protesters in Iran and everywhere;
• Demand a halt to military escalation and oppose war on Iran;
• Support independent investigations and accountability mechanisms to document and address serious human rights violations;
• Stand publicly and consistently with the Iranian people’s right to peaceful assembly and free expression;
• Uplift the voices of Iranians by patronizing and sharing their art, activism, and journalism.

Golden Thread is inspired by the courage and resilience of the people of Iran and honors the memory of those who have lost their lives in the fight for freedom. We recognize that the struggle of the Iranian people is not isolated; that it is part of the universal human aspiration for justice, dignity, and freedom. We will continue to stay true to our mission, centering in our art the lived experiences of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, creating space for dialogue, and amplifying our shared humanity.

My country, I will build you again,
if need be, with bricks made from my life.
I will build columns to support your roof,
if need be, with my bones.
I will inhale again the perfume of flowers
favored by your youth.
I will wash again the blood off your body
with torrents of my tears.

Once more, the darkness will leave this house.
I will paint my poems blue with the color of our sky.

-Simin Behbahani

Amnesty International: What happened at the protests in Iran?

Support the Iran Protest Resolution:  Affirm the United States’ commitment to human rights and democratic principles

Tell Congress: No War with Iran

Email the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Mai Soto: tinyurl.com/dzkvzs5m

Email UN Human Rights Council members: tinyurl.com/5f466sjw 

** This instance of Islamic Republic’s violent repression of its own people is not an aberration. It reflects a long and painful pattern in the history of the Islamic Republic. Since 1979, peaceful dissent in Iran has repeatedly been met with force:

• In 1999, student protests were violently suppressed, with security forces raiding university dormitories and arresting hundreds.
• In 2009, during the Green Movement protests, security forces cracked down on mass demonstrations contesting presidential election results. Dozens were killed according to official figures, while independent observers reported higher numbers, and thousands were detained.
• In November 2019, protests sparked by fuel price increases were met with one of the deadliest crackdowns in the Republic’s history. Amnesty International documented at least 321 deaths, while investigative reporting by Reuters cited estimates of around 1,500 people killed. Thousands were arrested.
• In 2022, nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini in morality police custody again saw lethal force deployed. Independent groups reported hundreds killed and tens of thousands detained.

The Islamic Republic also maintains one of the world’s highest execution rates per capita, with hundreds of executions carried out annually, including against political dissidents and individuals convicted after deeply flawed judicial proceedings—an abysmal record that further underscores the systemic nature of state repression.