Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the concerns of Deputies about this issue. Our voice needs to be heard in terms of condemnation and criticism. We must work with our EU colleagues as well in terms of being part of a collective EU response. In respect of the Iranian ambassador, my Department continues to closely monitor developments in Iran through our chargé d'affaires in Tehran. I raised the case of Ms Amini's death and the Iranian authorities' response to protests directly with my Iranian counterpart in New York a few weeks ago. Senior officials in my Department are in ongoing contact with the Iranian ambassador and the Iranian authorities are fully aware of our concerns. These issues are also getting far more discussion within the EU, which is looking at how we can collectively respond to put pressure on Iran to end the brutal crackdown on legitimate and, in most cases, peaceful protests. We are talking about schoolgirls here. We are talking about students, women and indeed men who are outraged by a young woman losing her life in custody having been beaten up. That has sparked something in Iran that has spread outside it in terms of calls for change and the outrage that has come with that. We must monitor how this progresses but Ireland needs to be very clear in terms of what we expect and ask for in terms of consistency with international law and respect for women's rights.

See this speech in context