Iranian women scholars demand accountability for US-Israeli attacks

A group of Iranian women scholars, intellectuals, and cultural figures issued an open letter, documenting systematic US-Israeli violations during the recent aggression against Iran, calling for international accountability.

In an open letter to international legal bodies, human rights organizations, and academic institutions on June 22, Iranian women scholars placed on record a pattern of attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, educational institutions, and medical facilities, and urged international bodies to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

"We write this letter as Iranian women scholars, intellectuals, and cultural figures of the Islamic Republic of Iran in fulfillment of our duty to bear witness to the truth, to defend justice, and to seek accountability for the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the scientists, scholars, military commanders, teachers, rescue workers, and innocent women and children who were killed by US-Zionist forces during this war," read the letter.

The signatories cited the deaths of 3,519 people during the aggression, with particular focus on an attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, which killed at least 156 civilians, including 120 children.

The attack, they stated, "ranks among the deadliest attacks against children during the course of the war."

The letter also documented damage to universities, research centers, hospitals, ambulances, energy facilities, and water resources, describing such actions as violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

"Our purpose goes beyond calling for investigation, accountability, and justice. It is also to preserve the historical record and to prevent the normalization of crimes whose repetition is made more likely whenever they are met with silence, as seen over the past two years in Palestine and now in Southern Lebanon," the signatories wrote.

The letter called on the United Nations and international bodies to "explicitly condemn the United States of America and the Israeli regime for committing military aggression" and to support independent investigative mechanisms.

It also urged the adoption of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions measures against the Israeli regime and all institutions that support US-Israeli war crimes.

"The crimes committed against the people of Iran form part of a broader pattern—one that stretches from Gaza and Lebanon to Iran—and demonstrates how the absence of accountability for grave crimes creates the conditions for the repetition and expansion of violence," the letter emphasized.

The signatories concluded by stating that "this letter is not written for today alone. If justice is done, it will have fulfilled its purpose as a petition for accountability. If justice is delayed, it will remain as a record for history. Future generations should know that these crimes were documented, that warnings were issued, and that voices were raised in protest against them."

Citing the Qur'anic principle "Neither commit injustice nor submit to injustice," the letter stated that the defense of human dignity is "the responsibility of all who believe that human dignity possesses a value greater than power, expediency, and war."

The United States and Israel launched their illegal, unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and striking nuclear facilities, schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure.

Iran’s armed forces responded with at least 100 waves of decisive retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4, launching hundreds of ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as drones, against American military bases across West Asia and Israeli positions throughout the occupied territories.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir