On December 9, the ALA Executive Board issued a statement in support of human rights and freedom of expression in Iran. The full statement reads as follows:
The American Library Association (ALA) supports its Iranian colleagues and the people of Iran in their efforts for human rights, including women’s rights and freedom of speech and expression.
ALA has adopted Article 19 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights into its policies. It states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
ALA expresses its solidarity with librarians, teachers, and others in the woman-led uprising in Iran for human rights, in which hundreds have died and thousands have been detained. ALA encourages members to provide educational materials and other resources and tools to raise awareness in their communities of the current situation in Iran and to combat misinformation.
