Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2022
349. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the engagement that he has had at UN Security Council-level with regard to the ongoing crackdown on peaceful protest in Iran; his plans to raise this matter at the next meeting of the Security Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53359/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran on 16 September, was a tragedy. The fact that she was arrested simply due to the way she was dressed understandably provoked a strong response from the Iranian people and the international community. The subsequent response by the Iranian authorities to largely peaceful protestors in Iran has been extremely concerning.
I raised my concerns on the matter directly with the Iranian Foreign Minister when I met him at the UN General Assembly in New York on 21 September and I spoke with him on the matter again by phone on 6 October. I called on Iran to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances of Ms Amini’s detention and death.
In my statement of October 3, I made it clear that Iran is party to a number of important international frameworks that guarantee fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, as well as the importance of upholding the rights of women and girls. Iran must adhere to its obligations under the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Given that the issue of women’s rights is at the heart of the protests in Iran, I also made it clear that Ireland puts gender issues and the empowerment of women and girls at the forefront of our foreign policy. We will continue to raise these issues in our dialogue with international partners, including Iran.
There has been a united response from the European Union on this matter. On Monday 17 October under the Iran (Human Rights) Sanctions Regime, eleven people and four entities were sanctioned by the EU for their role in the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent response to the recent demonstrations in Iran.
On 20 October I summoned the Iranian Ambassador to Ireland and again reiterated my very serious concern about the circumstances surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini and the unjustified response of the Iranian security forces to the women and men who are protesting. I also raised my concerns for the safety and well being of the athlete Elnaz Rekabi.
When I spoke with the Ambassasdor I also urged Iran to stop supplying weaponry to Russia. Russia’s deliberate and repeated targeting of Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure is a gross violation of international law. Iran’s supply of weaponry to Russia is directly contributing to these violations.
On 19 October the UN Security Council held a meeting on Iran’s Transfer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Russia and, the following day, the EU adopted targeted sanctions against Iranian individuals and an entity involved in the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles drones and their delivery to Russia.
