Iran expelled from UN women's body over rights violations

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - Iran was expelled Wednesday from a UN women's body for Tehran's rights violations amid weeks of anti-government protests.

The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted on a US-drafted resolution to “remove with immediate effect” Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its 2022 - 2026 term.

Twenty-nine-member states voted in favor of the resolution. Eight voted against it, including Russia and China. Sixteen abstained in the 54-member ECOSOC.

The 45-member UN Commission on the Status of Women is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution answers appeals from Iranian women and civil society.

Iran’s Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani called the expulsion an “illegal move” and accused the US of “trying to use the UN to advance its political agenda.”

“The removal of Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women is a welcome step toward holding the Iranian leadership accountable for its long history of discrimination and cruelty towards women and girls,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch.

“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,” he said.

Iran has carried out two executions during nationwide protests, which has been widely condemned by the international community and rights experts.

It has been rocked by widespread protests following the death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody in September for not wearing her attire properly. A government crackdown has since continued since her death.

Thousands have been detained, according to human rights groups, while more than 200 have died.

Foreign-based NGOs, however, have put the number of fatalities at more than 450, with the US and EU imposing a slew of human rights-related sanctions on officials and entities.