UN Expels Iran from Women’s Rights Body
Following a US resolution last month, Iran was removed from the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) on Wednesday due to its alleged “systematic oppression” of women and its violent crackdown on street protests in response to the death of Mahsa Amini.
Facts
- Following a US resolution last month, Iran was removed from the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) on Wednesday due to its alleged “systematic oppression” of women and its violent crackdown on street protests in response to the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in September while in police custody for "improperly" wearing a hijab.
- Of the 53 members of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), 29 voted to expel Iran from the UNCSW, with eight countries voting against and 16 abstaining.
- Prior to the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Iran's membership put an “ugly stain” on the commission’s credibility, as the country has been experiencing intense protests since September.
- Among the eight "no" votes were China, Russia, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman and Zimbabwe.
- Iran, as well as 17 other states and the Palestinians, in a letter to ECOSOC urged members on Monday to vote "no" to avoid a "new trend for expelling sovereign and rightfully-elected States from any given body of the international system, if ever perceived as inconvenient."
- The UNCSW, which was established in 1946, meets annually in March at UN HQ in New York and has shaped global standards on gender equality, reportedly being the biggest gathering of gender equality advocates in the world.
Sources: Guardian, Daily Mail, Newsweek, Reuters, and UN News.
Narratives
- Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by FOX News. Removing Iran from the UNCSW is the bare minimum the international community can do to show solidarity with the brave protesters in Iran. As the regime in Tehran butchers demonstrators in the streets, the US has sent a clear message that this repression will not stand. The US still must do more to support young Iranians in their struggle with this tyrannical regime.
- Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. Yet again, the West demonstrates its double standards regarding Iran and its contempt for cultures different than its own. The decision to remove Iran from the UNCSW was nothing more than a political stunt to fan the flames of sedition within Iran. The US has supported so much violence against the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979, even providing Iraq with chemical weapons, so this time is no different.
