December 14, 2022
1 min read

Iran ousted from UN panel on women

The vote came after intense lobbying by the US following widespread protests in Iran sparked by outrage against the edict compelling women to wear hijabs…reports Arul Louis

In an unprecedented move, Iran has been expelled from the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in a vote on which India abstained.

The US proposal at the UN Economic and Social Council to remove Iran from the panel received 29 votes, while there were eight votes against and 16 abstentions in the 54-member elected body.

The vote came after intense lobbying by the US following widespread protests in Iran sparked by outrage against the edict compelling women to wear hijabs.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that CSW, which is “the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women” cannot function if it is “undermined from within” by Iran.

“Iran’s membership at this moment is an ugly stain on the Commission’s credibility,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield spoke of Mahsa Amin who died after being held by “morality police” in September and called her a “martyr”.

Her death sparked the protests during which, Thomas-Greenfield said, “government security forces have reportedly detained and tortured thousands of people, killed hundreds of peaceful protestors, and badly injured many more. Men supporting women in the streets are now being targeted with the death penalty”.

The Commission is made up of 45 countries which are elected by the Council to four-year terms.

Iran’s term, which began this year, was to have run through 2026.

Iran’s delegate countered that the US and its allies practice racial discrimination against minorities “including women and girls” and “support rioters in other independent countries under the pretext of promoting human rights”.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

ALSO READ: Is Belarus joining Putin’s war?

Previous Story

Jaishankar, Guterres hold talks on India’s G20 leadership

Next Story

Covid will no longer be health emergency next year: WHO chief

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan gets 2nd IMF payout

The IMF’s mission visit to Islamabad, initially planned for this week, has been delayed due to security concerns stemming from growing regional tensions Pakistan has officially received the second tranche of its

Delhi Pushes for TRF Terror Tag at UN

The TRF, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), which has been listed as an international terrorist organisation by the UN….reports Asian Lite News An Indian delegation met with senior UN counter-terrorism

India eyes US trade breakthrough

During US visit, Goyal is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Iran’s largest navy vessel catches fire and sinks

The support ship Kharg sank on Wednesday morning near the

Modi: India-Iran ties have promoted regional security

The Prime Minister stressed that both countries should work to