Act Daily News
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United Nations member states have eliminated Iran from a key UN ladies’s rights group simply months after it joined. The uncommon reversal comes as Iran is rattled by an ongoing protest motion sparked by the demise of a younger girl within the custody of the nation’s so-called “morality police”
Twenty-nine members of the UN’s Economic and Social Council voted Wednesday in favor of a decision proposed by the United States to “remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term.”
Eight member states voted towards the decision, and 16 abstained.
Addressing the council on Wednesday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that “women and activists have appealed to us, the United Nations, for support.”
“They made their request to us loud and clear: remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women.”
“The reason why is straightforward. The Commission is the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women. It cannot do its important work if it is being undermined from within. Iran’s membership at this moment is an ugly stain on the Commission’s credibility,” Thomas-Greenfield added.
Iran condemned the US decision, calling it an “illegal request” and stated it weakens the rule of legislation within the United Nations.
Iran’s ambassador and everlasting consultant to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Irvani, stated the decision to take away Iran was constructed on “baseless claims and fabricated arguments using fake narratives,” based on state news company IRNA on Wednesday.
Iran had solely simply begun its four-year time period on the 45-member Commission on the Status of Women – which was created to advocate for gender equality globally – after being elected to the physique in April.
In current months, the nation has been gripped by mass protests sparked by the September demise of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained in Tehran by a police unit that enforces strict gown codes for girls, similar to sporting the obligatory scarf.
Iran’s demonstrations, typically led by ladies, have since coalesced round a variety of grievances with the regime. Authorities have unleashed a lethal crackdown on demonstrators, with stories of compelled detentions and bodily abuse getting used to focus on the nation’s Kurdish minority group.
Another consultant from Iran’s delegation to the UN responded to the vote, saying, “My delegation condemns any politicization of women’s rights and rejects all accusations made in particular by the US and certain EU members.”
She additionally described Iran’s “efforts to promote and protect women’s rights” pushed by the nation’s “rich culture and well-established constitution.”
Iran is “a progressive society that takes into consideration the needs and listens to the voices of its women and girls eagerly and strives toward a better future for and with its women and girls,” she stated.
A UN report launched in March 2021 described Iranian ladies and ladies as handled like “second class citizens.” The report cited widespread baby marriage involving ladies between the ages of 10 and 14, weak protections towards home violence, and lack of authorized autonomy for girls, amongst different points.
“Blatant discrimination exists in Iranian law and practice that must change. In several areas of their lives, including in marriage, divorce, employment, and culture, Iranian women are either restricted or need permission from their husbands or paternal guardians, depriving them of their autonomy and human dignity. These constructs are completely unacceptable and must be reformed now,” stated the report’s creator Javaid Rehman on the time.
Following months of protests, Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated in early December that the nation’s parliament and judiciary have been reviewing the legislation that requires ladies to put on a hijab in public, based on pro-reform outlet Entekhab.
But there is no such thing as a proof of what, if any, adjustments may very well be forthcoming to the legislation, which got here into impact after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Reacting to news of Iran’s removing from the physique, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch stated it was a “welcome step,” however remained a “far cry” from true accountability.
In an announcement to Act Daily News, Charbonneau added, “What’s needed is urgent coordinated pressure on Iran to end its campaign of violence, credible prosecutions of individuals who are directly responsible for these appalling violations of human rights, and an end to the severe discrimination against women.”