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

I thank the Members of the Seanad for the time they have offered for this important topic. In particular, I thank Senator Chambers for drafting this motion, which I am happy to support. I am particularly happy to have this debate on the International Day of the Girl, which is also appropriate.

I extend my condolences, as other have, to the family of Mahsa Amini and commend them on their bravery in focusing the attention of the world on the tragic and unnecessary death of their daughter. No woman should lose her life because of how she chooses to dress. No one in detention should be subjected to any form of mistreatment.

I also take this opportunity to commend the women and men of Iran who have exercised their fundamental right to assemble in protest. I also offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of all those who have lost their lives in protests since the death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September.

It is unacceptable that Mahsa Amini was arrested for alleged dress code violations by the Iranian morality police and that she was then subjected to such violence in detention to the extent that she lost her life. Ireland does not believe that anything short of full equality for women should be the objective anywhere in the world. The circumstances of Mahsa’s death have understandably led to protests across Iran but also in other parts of the world. I am deeply concerned about the unjustifiable and disproportionate response of the Iranian authorities to those Iranian citizens who are peacefully protesting. This response has resulted in further loss of life as well as a large number of injuries. People in Iran have the right to peacefully protest, as does anyone. That right must be ensured in all circumstances.

Iran has signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has adopted the Beijing declaration and platform for action, which commits Iran to ensure the full implementation of the human rights of women and girls as an integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Iran is also party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ICCPR. I call on Iranian authorities to strictly abide by the principles enshrined in the ICCPR, including the right to peaceful assembly.

The decision to severely restrict Internet access by Iranian authorities and to block instant messaging platforms is a further cause for concern and is a clear violation of freedom of expression.

On 21 September last, I met with the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, at the UN General Assembly high level week in New York. I relayed to him my deep concerns regarding the circumstances of Ms Amini’s detention and death. I spoke with him again by phone last Thursday. In our conversations I advised the Iranian minister that it is crucial that an independent and credible investigation into the circumstances of Mahsa Amini’s death is carried out and that those responsible for violence against her are held accountable. I also relayed to him the unequivocal condemnation from across the political spectrum in Ireland of the death of Mahsa Amini and the response of the Iranian security forces to peaceful protests. It is very clear in the statements this evening that all parties and none are speaking from the same position. In addition, I reminded the minister of the obligations Iran has as a party to the ICCPR.

The family of Mahsa Amini have objected to the findings of the Iranian coroner’s report, which was released last Friday and claimed that Mahsa Amini died due to pre-existing conditions. Mahsa’s parents deserve to know the truth about how their 22-year-old daughter died. I repeat my call here today to the Iranian Government to allow for an independent investigation into the cause of her death.

While the case of Mahsa Amini has rightly attracted worldwide attention, unfortunately it is far from unique in Iran. The status of women and girls in Iran is very worrying. Iran is one of only four countries which have not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. While there is a high level of enrolment of women in all levels of education in Iran, under the civil code women continue to be deprived of equal rights to men in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. There is no law to prevent violence against women, including gender-based violence such as marital rape, to prohibit child marriage or to prosecute abusers. Gender equality remains inadequate in the economic sphere and, in particular, in the political sphere. There are laws on chastity and on dress codes which apply only to women. Iran is the only country in the world which legally requires non-Muslim women to wear a headscarf. In November 2021, the President of Iran signed into law a Bill which limits access to contraception and abortion.

The human rights situation in the country has long been of great concern, including the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, political activists , journalists and human rights defenders. Citizens of Iran do not fully enjoy fundamental freedoms to which they are entitled, such as freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. I know Members of this House and of the other House have mentioned to me the situation of the Baha’i community. There are numerous and credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of those detained in Iranian prisons. Ireland has not hesitated to raise these concerns directly with Iran. I have raised these issues when I have met with the minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in the past number of weeks, as I have mentioned previously, and when I visited Tehran in February of this year. I have always been clear in letting him know of our concerns regarding the treatment of women in Iran as well as of Ireland’s other long-standing concerns on human rights in Iran, including those of LGBTQI+ persons, respect for freedom of religious belief, and, of course, the use of the death penalty, which we have been very consistent on.

The current UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran took up his position in 2018 and is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, HRC, under Resolution 37/30 to monitor and investigate human rights violations in Iran and to submit reports to the General Assembly and the HRC. I have expressed my concern directly to the Iranian foreign minister that Iran is preventing the special rapporteur from even visiting the country. The HRC mandate also calls on Iran to co-operate fully with the special rapporteur and to permit him to access the country.

I have also encouraged Iran to facilitate a visit to Tehran by the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, who many in this House will know well, and to engage with the European Union on human rights issues on a formal and structured basis. The EU holds human rights dialogues with more than 30 countries to discuss topics of particular importance to the EU, including women’s rights, freedom of expression and combating torture. While I have delivered a message at the highest level to the Iranian Government, I certainly will not hesitate to summon the Iranian ambassador in Dublin if I believe that is helpful at a future date. Officials from my Department are in regular contact with the embassy and just yesterday we relayed again our concerns regarding the situation in Iran directly to its ambassador.

As Senators will be aware, next year Ireland plans to reopen our embassy in Tehran which we closed for financial reasons in 2012. The first phase of this process began in August 2021 with the appointment of a chargé d'affaires co-located with the German Embassy in Tehran. Part of the reason for this decision is that Ireland has an important diplomatic role in respect of the Iranian nuclear deal, which is known as the joint comprehensive plan of action or JCPOA. On joining the UN Security Council in 2021, Ireland was appointed as facilitator to Resolution 22/31 which relates to the implementation of the JCPOA. Ireland strongly supports the Iranian nuclear deal. It was a major achievement of multilateral diplomacy and we believe it is the best mechanism for ensuring the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. We are, therefore, deeply concerned by the steps Iran has taken on its nuclear programme since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, including the irreversible nature of some of those activities.The US, under President Biden, has indicated its willingness to return to the deal, and talks began in Vienna in April 2021. I have engaged extensively with all parties to the deal and urged them to work with urgency towards the full restoration of the agreement, which has been extremely close. This has included extensive political level contact with Iran on nuclear issues, including in my recent discussions with the Iranian foreign minister and during my visit to Tehran last February. Preserving the deal is essential to strengthening non-proliferation in the Middle East to act as an important security and confidence-building measure in the region and potentially create a platform for an improved relationship with Iran and its neighbours.

The death of Mahsa Amini and the protests in Iran have rightly attracted worldwide condemnation. Discussions are already under way within the EU on an appropriate response, including asset freezes and travel bans affecting the specific individuals and entities responsible for the repression we have seen in recent weeks. I agree with some that we need to be cautious in how we apply sanctions, but the EU, unlike many countries in the world, generally applies sanctions in a very targeted manner. The widespread sanctions that have impacted the Iranian economy are very much linked to the breakdown of the nuclear deal, and these are quite separate from the targeted measures of the EU concerning human rights abuses. It is important to make that distinction. I will be discussing this matter with my EU colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting next Monday in Luxembourg and I expect there will be a firm and united response.

When I spoke to the Iranian Foreign Minister last week, I was very straight with him and said that unless there is a credible investigation into the circumstances of Mahsa Amini's death and a proportionate response to the legitimate demands of peaceful protesters, there will be a clear EU response. Threats of retaliation by Iran, which we have heard, will certainly not impact the EU's determination in responding.

I thank the Senators for the debate. In particular, I thank Senator Chambers. I will take the very strong views of this Chamber to the conversations we will have at EU level. That is how Ireland can be most impactful. Whether it is at UN level, at the Security Council, or at EU level, through collective EU action, Ireland is influential beyond its size. We need to use that influence and our credibility appropriately at times like this. I hope I will be able to do that on behalf of the Senators successfully next week.