EU ramps up pressure on Iran over systemic repression of women
Contributor
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution denouncing human rights violations in Iran, particularly the growing and systematic repression of women, with 562 votes in favor, 2 against, and 30 abstentions.
The EU resolution called on the Islamic Republic to end systematic discrimination against women and girls, including mandatory hijab laws, and to repeal the Hijab and Chastity Law and other gender-discriminatory legislation.
The resolution also highlighted rights violations, including “the murders of Mahsa Amini, Armita Geravand,” and over 811 executions in the past year, many targeting political prisoners.
It urged member states to extend sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to include Iranian officials responsible for these violations. It also calls for the designation of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, citing the group’s role in suppressing dissent and its involvement in international acts of violence.
German MEP Hannah Neumann, in a plenary debate at the European Parliament, highlighted the case of Iranian student Ahoo Daryaie, who removed her clothing in protest after security forces allegedly assaulted her at Tehran's Islamic Azad University over her hijab. Authorities later labeled Daryaie as mentally ill, sparking outrage amongst activists and human rights advocates.
"The only one who is sick here is the Islamic regime. Sick with paranoia, terrified of women who dare to show their hair or sing a song. And the only thing that Iranian women are suffering from is being sick of this regime. Ahoo Daryaie is not a patient. She's a remedy. A symbol of courage and resistance against repression, like so many others, whose names we don't even know," Neumann said.
Earlier this month, an Iranian state Islamic body announced plans to open a clinic in Tehran to treat women defying mandatory hijab laws, in what activists see as another instance of authorities labeling dissent as a mental health issue.
Neumann criticized these actions, describing them as "repression disguised as care," and drew parallels to historical misogyny.
The EU resolution comes a day after Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament announced that the Hijab and Chastity law would be officially enacted next month.