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U.N. Likely To Expel Iran For Women’s Commission
(CTN NEWS) – Iran is likely to be banned from a U.N. agency for women on Wednesday due to its policies against the rights of women and girls, although some nations are anticipated to abstain from the vote, according to diplomats.
A U.S.-drafted proposal will be put to vote by the 54 members of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
To “remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the duration of its 2022-2026 term.”
On Dec. 14, members of the U.N. Economic and Social Council will vote to remove the Islamic Republic of Iran from the @UN_CSW. This U.S.-drafted proposal is due to the Sept. 2022 death of #MahsaAmini, which sparked women-led protests in the country.https://t.co/zSSiQWPQ9u
— To The Contrary (@ToTheContrary) November 29, 2022
The Commission on the Status of Women, which has 45 members, holds yearly meetings in March to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality.
People attend a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting focused on the ongoing protests in Iran, hosted by the United States and Albania at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Iran’s removal has “consistently seen increased support,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
In a letter to the ECOSOC on Monday, Iran, 17 other countries, and the Palestinians warned that a vote “would set an unwanted precedent that may ultimately preclude other Member States with different cultures, beliefs.
And traditions from contributing to the operations of such Commissions.”
In the letter, members were asked to reject the American proposal to prevent the emergence of a “new trend for removing sovereign and rightfully-elected States from any organization of the international system.
In a letter to ECOSOC on Monday, Iran, 17 other states, and the Palestinians argued that a vote "will undoubtedly create an unwelcome precedent that will ultimately prevent other Member States with different cultures, customs, and traditions."
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 14, 2022
If ever considered inconvenient, a circumstantial majority could be gained for enforcing such moves.”
Only five of the letter’s signatories are eligible to vote on Wednesday because they are ECOSOC members.
The Islamic Republic hung a man in the open on Monday after he was found guilty of murdering two security personnel, according to state television. This was the second such execution of a protester in less than a week.
Three months ago, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman detained by morality police enforcing Islamic Republic’s mandatory dress code rules, passed away while in custody, sparking nationwide anger.
AP Photo/ Maya AlleruzzoA photo depicting Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who died after being arrested in Tehran by Iran’s notorious “morality police,” seen during a protest in central Jerusalem.
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the rallies have evolved into a popular uprising by enraged Iranians from all societal strata, posing one of the most fundamental challenges to the Shi’ite clerical elite’s legitimacy.
Iranian officials have attributed the turmoil to their foreign adversaries and their agents.
To the delight of activists, the Geneva-based U.N. Rights Council approved a resolution last month to designate an impartial investigation into Iran’s lethal crackdown on protesters.
Tehran charged that Western nations made an “appalling and humiliating” step by using the council to criticize Iran.
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