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The current situation in Iran is not a temporary crisis, but the result of a long-standing system in which power is based on violence, inequality, and fear. Political participation has been suppressed, fundamental rights curtailed, and society controlled by militarized means. The consequences of these structures are visible in everyday life—and they affect women, girls, and other systematically marginalized groups the most.

Recent events have made visible what many Iranians have long known: the state's response to social discontent is not dialogue but the use of force. Public spaces have been turned into surveillance zones, protests are met with arrests and lethal violence, and communications have been widely cut off. The internet blackout is not a technical glitch, but a deliberate means of silencing people and preventing the documentation of violence. In this situation, access to reliable information has been deliberately blocked – but the human cost is undeniable.

Women lead the resistance – and bear its consequences

In Iran, women are not just participants in the resistance, but its central force, providing values, direction, and meaning. Their struggle is not only about individual rights, but about the entire social structure in which women's bodies, lives, and voices are controlled. Feminist resistance in Iran is also a struggle against militarism, authoritarianism, and structural inequality.

WILPF Finland recognizes that this struggle is being waged under extreme conditions. Internet blackouts, arrests, and the threat of violence are limiting the space for community and solidarity. At the same time, we remind ourselves that there is no single unified political front in Iran, and no outsider has the authority to determine the future of the Iranian people. What they do have in common, however, is that more people feel that the current system has exceeded its limits.

Peace cannot be achieved by coercion

Feminist peace does not just mean silencing weapons. It means justice, people's own political agency, and the protection of civilians. Historical experience shows that externally imposed and military solutions do not build these conditions; they often weaken them.

Afghanistan and Iraq are clear examples of this. In both countries, external military intervention was justified on the grounds of peace, security, and women's rights. The result was prolonged violence, social fragmentation, and insecurity, with women, children, and other vulnerable groups bearing the heaviest burden. The starting point for peace was external coercion and military power, not society’s own sustainable structures.

Therefore, WILPF Finland rejects the idea that a solution to the crisis in Iran can be found through armed pressure, war, or geopolitical power games. The exercise of power that ignores people's own agency, local realities, and everyday life cannot produce freedom or lasting peace. Sustainable change can only come about through the people affected by the situation—not over their heads.

What does solidarity mean now?

The message coming out of Iran is clear: support is not sought from above, but by walking side by side. Solidarity means openly naming human rights violations but also refraining from actions that worsen the living conditions of ordinary people, deepen violence, or narrow the space for change in Iran.

The international community, in particular the UN, the European Union, and international human rights mechanisms—has a responsibility to demand accountability, support independent and transparent investigations, and protect civil society actors. This responsibility does not mean defining Iran's future on behalf of Iranians.

Our message to the women of Iran

WILPF Finland's message to the women of Iran is this:

We recognize your struggle as part of the global feminist peace movement.

We hear you – even when the internet is cut off and the country is in darkness.

We oppose all violence, including that which is presented as a solution or a remedy.

We defend your right to define your own future. Your struggle is our struggle.

Feminist peace cannot be achieved by ignoring those it affects. It is achieved by listening to, protecting, and amplifying the voices that rise from oppression and silencing.

Iran's future belongs to the Iranian people. Our task is to ensure that your struggle is not silenced by weapons or compromises made in the name of power transitions.

Woman. Life. Freedom.

That is the condition for peace, not a matter for negotiation.