1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

The Iranian regime has escalated its violent campaign against peaceful protesters, carrying out mass killings, disappearances, and deliberate information blackouts. These are not isolated abuses but a coordinated effort to silence dissent and prevent the world from witnessing the scale of the atrocities. Families inside Iran are begging for the outside world to speak up because the government has cut off internet access to hide what is happening. One message from a friend still in the country describes the situation with devastating clarity: “We haven’t heard from my brother Kourosh, my father, my two other brothers, and my three sisters since January 9th. Friends told me they saw Kourosh shot by a sniper, but we still haven’t found him among the thousands of bodies scattered across the city. The Islamic Republic has cut off the internet and started a massive massacre of the oppressed people of Iran. They killed my nephews and nieces with their hands tied and their eyes closed.” Another message reads: “Cyrus is no longer with us. He fought bravely with his bare hands against the radical Islamists who occupied Iran and held the people hostage, and lost his life in the way of liberating his country. More than seventy-five thousand young people have been killed, and more than one hundred and fifty thousand have been injured and beaten.” These accounts reflect a humanitarian catastrophe. The Iranian people are not their government; they are being exterminated by it. Silence enables the perpetrators. Speaking out saves lives. Action is urgently needed: public condemnation of the regime’s mass killings and disappearances; support for expanded, resilient internet access for Iranians; and engagement with experts and advocates working to ensure that U.S. policy aligns with human rights and digital freedom. Even amid complicated geopolitical sentiment, moral clarity is essential.