Letter from TNI to the Secretary-General of the United Nations regarding Transitional Leadership of Iran and the Protection of Human Rights
Feb. 14, 2026 12:47:40
Feb 14, 2026
His Excellency Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Your Excellency,
We write to you with a profound sense of shared commitment to human dignity and international justice. As you approach the final chapter of your distinguished tenure as Secretary‑General, the world reflects on a legacy shaped by your steadfast advocacy for the displaced and your lifelong dedication to humanitarian principles, values rooted in your decades of service to refugees.
It is in this same humanitarian spirit that we bring to your attention the deepening tragedy facing the Iranian people. Today, the Islamic Republic stands not as a representative of its nation, but as its captor. The recent mass shootings across Iran have once again revealed a painful reality: the regime has turned its weapons on its own citizens. The world mourns the loss of tens of thousands of innocent lives, including children such as Raha Sheikhi, Kian Pirfalak, and most recently Taha Safari who were brutally massacred by the regime. For nearly five decades, this violence has driven more than eight million Iranians into exile, creating a global nation displaced by state‑sanctioned brutality.
Your own path, shaped by Portugal’s transition to democracy and your leadership in defending oppressed peoples, from East Timor to the founding of the Portuguese Refugees Council, gives you a unique understanding of a nation’s struggle for freedom. Iranians, both the millions in the diaspora and the tens of millions living under repression, look to leaders like you who have devoted their lives to protecting the vulnerable. Across Iran and throughout the diaspora, a unified call has emerged for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to guide a safe and stable transition toward a secular democracy.
As a statesman of your stature knows, true peace cannot be achieved by legitimizing those who order violence against their own people, including figures such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. To treat such representatives as the voice of Iran is to silence the millions demanding regime change. Furthermore, in this same vein of institutional integrity, I must also respectfully draw your attention to the presence of Afsaneh Nadipour within the UNHRC Advisory Committee. While the Committee is intended to serve as a body of independent expertise, the inclusion of an active diplomat representing a government under direct UN investigation for ‘crimes against humanity’ presents a fundamental contradiction. This perceived conflict of interest risks eroding the credibility of the Human Rights Council in the eyes of the international community. For the millions of Iranians who look to the United Nations as a final arbiter of justice, the appointment of a regime apologist to such a sensitive role is deeply discouraging. We urge your excellency to ensure that the UN’s advisory bodies are composed of voices that truly uphold the universal values of your office, rather than those who massacre Iranian people.
History remembers those who stand on the right side of a moral divide. By meeting with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and acknowledging the Iranian people’s chosen path for transition, you would reaffirm the UN Charter’s promise of self‑determination and further strengthen your legacy as a champion of human dignity in the 21st century.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.
Akbar Moarefy
Director, International Affairs
The New Iran
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