Australian senator under fire for defending Iran’s treatment of women on state TV

Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a researcher and former prisoner in Iran, has criticized Australian Senator Fatima Payman for defending Iran’s treatment of women in an interview with the state-run Press TV.

In a post on X, Moore-Gilbert called Payman’s remarks “nonsense,” rejecting the senator’s claim that Iran allows women to participate in democracy.

She pointed out that Payman had previously attended a Senate inquiry into Iran’s human rights abuses and questioned why she would agree to speak with Press TV.

“The English-language propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic [is] known for broadcasting false confession videos and forced interviews with prisoners before they are executed," she said.

“The irony of a strong and powerful woman originally from Afghanistan… denying that her Iranian sisters face similar challenges just next door,” Moore-Gilbert wrote, adding that Payman’s stance contradicts her past expressions of solidarity with Iranian protesters.

Payman’s interview, in which she accused Western media of biased coverage on Iran, has sparked backlash, with critics arguing that her comments downplay the Islamic Republic’s record on women’s rights.