Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive and detailed reply. I thank all Members for contributing to the debate. Its quality was excellent. Senators are very informed on the issue. It is important that the Oireachtas debate these issues. We have spoken a lot this evening about the actions Ireland can take. Even having this debate to call out the human rights abuses for what they are is an important action. The abuses are unacceptable and disgraceful and will not be tolerated. That is a powerful message to send from our Parliament, through our Government, to the Iranian Government and the Foreign Minister with whom the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, engages regularly.

It is important also that we consider Ireland's actions. I take on board what Senator Ruane has said about sanctions. It is important that we do not take action that makes us feel good about what we are doing when that action does not have the desired outcome. Our actions should be informed by what the Iranian people themselves want by way of support from us.

Many Members spoke about what has occurred over recent decades. What has been happening has not just happened in recent weeks. There has been an ongoing movement to fight for and advocate women's rights. What has changed in recent years is that we see more and now know what is happening. It is so much more publicised. No matter how hard the Iranian Government tries to lock down the Internet, prevent discourse and debate and prevent videos from being posted online, we see what is happening and what it is doing. We will not forget it. That is important. In the past decade, we have had access to more information and are so much more connected as a global community.

Regarding what is frightening about what is happening, Senator Moynihan spoke about the changes that took place between the early 1970s and when the Shah fell in 1979. In the early 1970s and earlier, women in Iran enjoyed many of the freedoms they do not enjoy today. It is a matter of a side-by-side comparison accounting for how far Ireland has come as a country in improving women's rights. The way we treated women in this country not so long ago was horrific and we are still dealing with the fallout. The scars are still very much evident on women today because of what this country has been through. Therefore, we are not speaking from a position of judgment but acknowledging, as Senator Moynihan did, that women's rights are not guaranteed and can always be reversed if we do not remain vigilant. We must always stand up for what we believe are basic human rights and for dignity for all citizens, be they women or men.

In my opening remarks, I did not mention the women of Afghanistan. Let us not forget their plight and that what is happening in Iran is also happening in other parts of the world. I fear that we and the international community have become very silent about what is happening in Afghanistan. I do not see any significant or serious steps being taken to try to deal with the issue, which has arisen only very recently. I sincerely hope the protests that have been taking place in recent weeks in Iran will not be in vain and that change will come about. I hope the deaths of Mahsa Amini and other women who have lost their lives, including teenage girls, will not be in vain and that we will see genuine liberation of women in Iran and the upholding of the basic freedoms to assemble, protest and live one's life as desired. That is the hope I hold for the women of Iran.

I wish to finish by using the statement Iranian women are making: "Woman, life, freedom".