In a statement made during a debate on human rights issues that require the Council’s attention, Humanists International’s Director of Advocacy, Elizabeth O’Casey, noted that “despite the courage and resilience of those in the movement, the authorities have continued their brutal and targeted repression since its inception.” The Iranian regime has, in the past year alone, arrested dozens of human rights defenders, lawyers, students, and family members of those killed during protests.
The statement also pointed out that, “all the while, women and girls continue to suffer the very repression which gave rise to the protests in the first place.” Women and girls in Iran are subjected to systemic discrimination in all aspects of their life, including in education, employment, health, and personal status.
O’Casey closed the statement by calling for the Human Rights Council to act. She called on the Council to demand accountability from Iran for its denial of a whole host of human rights to its citizens, particularly women and girls; to advocate for the release of detained protesters; and to seek justice for all those harmed, tortured or killed at the hands of the state. She also called on all countries hosting individuals involved in the Iranian repression to hold them to account and bring them to justice.
Featured image by Anastasiia Nelen on Unsplash