“We, Hamgaam Council of United Iranian Churches, Article18 and the Pars Theological Centre, as part of the Iranian Christian community, declare our solidarity with the bereaved family of Mahsa (Zina) Amini, and support their call for justice. In unison with the citizens of our country, we condemn the systematic oppression of women and the widespread violation of human rights in Iran. At the same time, we demand freedom, justice and equal rights for all Iranians.

“We, like many of the people in Iran who have protested in the city streets with unparalleled courage following Mahsa’s death, consider the imposition of mandatory hijab on the people of Iran – representing a range of religious, ethnic and cultural identities – an obvious violation of human rights, and demand an end to this and other discriminatory laws.

“‘We are all Mahsas’, and ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ are among the slogans of the brave women and men of Iran, reminding us that we are all together, regardless of ethnicity, religion, language or belief, in this fight against the shared pain of injustice, oppression and religious dictatorship, as well as our hope for life, freedom and equality.

“We remember the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, and other victims sent to their death by this repressive Islamic regime in the past 43 years simply because they were different. We pray for the families of the victims of these crimes and seek God’s comfort and peace for them.

“We also remind all our fellow Christians that standing next to the voiceless and oppressed, and standing up for their rights, in the manner taught us by the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, is not a choice but the spiritual duty of every Christian, and a participation in the liberating mission of Jesus, who said in the opening statement of his ministry: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the captives and recovery of sight for the blind; to set the oppressed free.'”