On August 20, the Guardian published in its opinion section an article titled “To Iran’s political prisoners, trapped ‘between two blades of a scissors’ Open Letter.” It included two dozen prominent signatories of former and current political prisoners, activists, intellectuals in the U.S. and around the world. As Annie Day posted at revcom Instagram, such a statement “should have been applauded” for anyone opposing both the U.S.-Israel brutal war, as well as the brutal treatment, and fierce resistance inside Iran. No, instead, immediate and unprincipled backlash flooded the internet. On August 24 the IEC issued our statement in support of the Open Letter and in response to some of these attacks.
Immediately on August 21, “Marxist” commentator Vijay Prashad attacked this Open Letter, without speaking to its accurate depiction of the reality for Iran’s political prisoners trapped between U.S.-Israel war and the IRI regime repression, especially an execution surge that the letter painfully captures. He and others in unity with his views joined this attack, including none other than the pro-IRI Tehran Times (on August 22). They reference and endorse Prashad’s complaints about the Open Letter’s imagery of “two blades of a scissors” and reject the notion that the Islamic Republic’s anti-imperialism is “hollow."
Many Iranians and others actually did swiftly stand up for the Open Letter and agreed with its spirit and thrust of standing with the political prisoners who are in fact trapped and “being cut to pieces” by two blades of scissors. They expressed support for the people in Iran who do live in fear of “both blades” ending their lives and future! While there may be different analyses about how to understand this reference to “two blades of one scissor” in the Open Letter, that does not justify the ferociousness of the political attack on the Open Letter and on those who signed it.
Instead of honest and open debate about these differences, Prashad went as far off track as to call on a social media post for an investigation of the signatories of the Open Letter. This dangerous and unprincipled threat sent a chill about both the U.S. and Iranian government going after people. This needs to be called out and condemned. A different/higher standard for principled struggle over differences must be set.
In the ensuing days, six of the twenty four signatories removed their names from the Open Letter, some with vague or no explanation. Others who stood firm on principles issued public statements of not removing their names. And there have been substantive statements upholding the Open Letter including many prominent Iranian political activists, feminists and scholars.
The IEC affirms that it is both possible, AND NECESSARY due to the reality, to stand against the unjust U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, AND against Iran’s repression and oppression of its own population. We have documented this political position for nearly 6 years, and we will continue to stand on these principles and call on all justice-loving people of the world to do likewise and to join us in this mission as concentrated in our twin demands:
We demand of the Islamic Republic of Iran: FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW!
We say to the U.S. government: NO THREATS OR WAR MOVES AGAINST IRAN, LIFT U.S. SANCTIONS!
Below is an update of the current list of 18 signatories to the Open Letter and below that the list of those who were on the original list of signatories and have now removed their names.
- Alberto Toscano, emeritus professor of critical theory, Goldsmiths, *University of London
- Angela Davis, former political prisoner, distinguished professor emerita, *University of California, Santa Cruz
- Bernardine Dohrn, retired professor of law, *Northwestern University
- Bill Ayers, professor, *College Unbound
- Cherríe L Moraga, distinguished professor emerita, *University of California, Santa Barbara, Chicana feminist writer, and activist
- Dan Berger, professor of comparative ethnic studies, *University of Washington Bothell
- Jairus Banaji, historian, research professor, SOAS, *University of London
- Jason Stanley, professor of philosophy, *University of Toronto
- Judith Butler, distinguished professor in the Graduate School, *University of California, Berkeley
- Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, professor of African American studies, *Princeton University
- Michael Löwy, emeritus research director of sociology at the *Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
- Michael Mansfield, human rights and civil liberties, barrister
- Mumia Abu-Jamal, current political prisoner, educator, journalist and activist
- Ricardo Jiménez, social activist, former Puerto Rican political prisoner
- Ruha Benjamin, professor of African American studies, *Princeton University
- Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Graduate Center, *CUNY
- Walden F Bello, international adjunct professor of sociology, *State University of New York at Binghamton
- Yasin al-Haj Saleh, Syrian writer, political dissident, and former political prisoner in Syria
List of those who have removed their name from the Open Letter.
- Hossam el-Hamalawy, Egyptian socialist, scholar and former political prisoner
- Nadia Abu El-Haj, professor of anthropology, Barnard College, *Columbia University
- Nisrin Elamin, assistant professor of African studies and anthropology, *University of Toronto, co-founding member of the Sudan Solidarity Collective
- Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor emeritus of modern Arab studies, department of history, *Columbia University. President of Institute of Palestinian Studies
- Robin DG Kelley, distinguished professor of history, *UCLA
- Sinan Antoon, associate professor of Arabic literature, New York University, novelist, poet
* Organizations for identification purposes only.
** Signatories are sorted alphabetically.