Motions

Iran, Human Rights

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (16:01): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes that 2024 marks 45 years since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which dramatically altered the sociopolitical landscape of Iran;

2. Condemns the Iranian regime’s systemic repression and violation of human rights, including through suppression of women’s rights, religious persecution, the use of morality police, public executions, torture, and state-sponsored terrorism;

3. Notes the concern over Tehran’s growing use of terrorism, espionage, cyber attacks and hostage-taking diplomacy to restrict and eliminate the Iranian democratic opposition;

4. Supports people in Iran in their demands for a just, democratic and secular Iran and urges the international community to do the same;

5. Endorses the United Nations' independent investigation into human rights violations and the commonwealth’s targeted sanctions against individuals and entities found to be directly responsible for or complicit in these violations;

6. Calls on the state government to continue dialogue and engagement with Iranian community associations and diaspora communities to amplify their voices and support their efforts; and

7. Calls on the federal government to continue dialogue with Iran to address the human rights violations being perpetrated against people in Iran.

I rise today to shed light on the human rights situation in Iran and lend my voice to the people of Iran in their demand for a just, democratic and secular state. Forty-five years ago, the sociopolitical landscape of Iran was dramatically altered by the Iranian Revolution. The 1979 Iranian Revolution is one of the most important events of the late 20^th century. It promised three goals: social justice, freedom and democracy, and independence from the ruling class. Instead, one dictatorship was replaced by another.

Today, the Iranian regime has systematically trampled upon the very freedoms and liberties that the revolution sought to gain. The voices of dissent are stifled, and the aspirations of the people in Iran for a better and more just society are met with brutality and intimidation. This alarming trend has only continued to escalate following the nationwide protests in September 2022, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jina Amini.

The Iranian regime's oppression of Jina was multidimensional, as is the experience for many people in Iran, especially Iranian ethnic and religious minorities. It constitutes a denial of political, cultural and physical rights. Her own name, Jina, was subject to the regime's authority, and Jina was forced to use the Persian name Mahsa in her dealings with the state. I respect her family, her memory and her autonomy in calling her by her real name.

Jina was arrested by the Guidance Patrol, also known as the morality police, on the grounds that she had worn tight pants and had worn her headscarf improperly. This is a law born out of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that made it mandatory for all women in Iran to wear hijabs that cover their head and neck and conceal their hair. This law is so integral to the regime's control over women that, in a three-month period in 2014, 220,000 women were taken to police stations to sign statements in which they promised to wear hijabs.

As reported by the United Nations Human Rights Office, women who fail to adhere to the law are subject to violent beatings and are pushed into police vans in which they are driven to a correctional facility or police station. They are lectured on how to dress, they have their photos taken by police and their personal information is recorded. Some are released but many are detained. Under Iran's Islamic Criminal Code the penalty for this consists of imprisonment from 10 days to two months and fines of 50,000 to 500,000 Iranian rials. Violators may also be lashed up to 74 times.

Those detained with Jina on that day witnessed her brutal physical and mental torture by police and she died as a result of her injuries just days later. Sadly, this is just one event within a long history of the Iranian regime's systematic violations against human rights. Nationwide protests began hours after Jina's death, beginning at the hospital in Tehran where she was treated and quickly spreading to other parts of the country. Since 2022, Iran has continued to witness a troubling pattern of humanitarian violations perpetrated by the government and its security operators.

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javaid Rehman, released a report on 26 February 2024. The reporting period included continuing and considerable state-orchestrated human rights violations following the protest in September 2022. I would like to share with this chamber a number of findings made by Mr Rehman that shed light on the current human rights concerns in Iran.

Firstly, he observed that death penalty sentences and executions during the reporting period had greatly increased. According to information received, at least 834 people were executed in 2023, a 43 per cent increase compared with 2022 when at least 582 persons were executed. Those executed were tortured and ill treated and frequently denied access to a lawyer. Lawyers were not allowed to defend their clients. Those executed from ethnic and religious minorities remained disproportionately high. In relation to the protest, since September 2022 the Iranian authorities have executed at least eight protesters, including 20-year-old Milad Zohrevand, who was executed without a fair trial or due process.

Mr Rehman noted that within the Iranian criminal justice system the death penalty can be imposed for over 80 offences, including for overbroad and vague national security offences, spreading corruption on Earth, and other offences such as drug-related offences, adultery, homosexuality, apostasy, blasphemy and theft. Importantly, the charge of apostasy (abandonment of a religion) and its potential for the death penalty has widespread implications for the regime's targeted oppression of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities. Mr Rehman stated that the authority executed two men in May 2023 for apostasy, solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of religion through social media activities.

He further explained that those belonging to minorities are subjected to institutionalised discrimination and frequently to systematic persecution, including arbitrary detention in connection with a range of peaceful activities such as advocating for linguistic freedom, organising or taking part in protest, being affiliated with opposition parties, campaigning against environmental degradation in their areas, or simply participating in religious or cultural activities.

Ahvazi Arabs, Baluchis, Kurds and Sunni Muslims in general also face systematic discrimination in regard to their enjoyment of cultural rights and access to public services. The Baluchis and the Kurds have been the targets of arbitrary deprivation of the right to life, namely executions and extrajudicial killings. The Baha'i community in particular have been targeted for their religious beliefs, facing arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and denial of basic rights such as access to education and employment.

Arbitrary arrests, detention and violations of the right to a fair trial are commonplace in Iran, with reports of frequent use of torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Reports from human rights organisations and testimonies from survivors provide harrowing accounts of the torture inflicted upon political prisoners and detainees. Mr Rehman noted that he was especially concerned at the pattern of arbitrary detention of foreign and dual nationals and the use of them for leverage or prisoner swaps.

Significantly, the report goes into detail about the increasing limitation on the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, in which Reporters Without Borders ranked the state 177^th out of 180 countries. Authorities have censored all forms of media and jammed foreign satellite television channels and social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and Twitter, all of which remain blocked. The majority of people live in fear of speaking out or engaging in politics in any form. There is no opportunity for mobilisation.

On the situation of women and girls, the Special Rapporteur remains alarmed at the ongoing repression of women's and girls' rights. Brutal and repressive policing methods are used on women and girls who defy the compulsory veiling laws, with over one million SMS messages sent to women threatening that if they were found travelling unveiled their vehicles would be confiscated.

Mr Rehman reports that countless women have also been denied access to education, public transportation and banking services. Armita Geravand, aged 16, died on 28 October 2023 following an altercation for her failure to wear a hijab. This oppression is only set to escalate even further with the regime's introduction of a bill to support the family by promoting the culture of chastity and hijab. The Special Rapporteur states that this could be described as a form of 'gender apartheid' with the intention of 'suppressing women and girls into total submission'. These are just a few of the egregious human rights violations reported to the Human Rights Council by Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman. I encourage members in this place to read the full report.

The human rights situation in Iran is not new. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, this year marks the 45^th year under the repressive Islamic regime. The events unfolding within Iran carry implications that stretch far beyond its geographical confines, impacting the stability and security of nations worldwide. The people in Iran and across countries have consistently demonstrated their yearning for change, bravely taking to the streets to demand accountability, justice and reform.

I recently met with an Iranian woman who told me that from the age of nine she knew that life in Iran was not the same for her as it was for her male relatives. She explained to me that as a woman in Iran you have to fight for basic human rights and that a woman has half of the rights and voice of a man in court. She was not allowed to ride a bike or choose what religion to believe in. Women have no right to divorce, no rights to custody and cannot even consent to their own child's school excursions. She said, 'As a woman, you feel miserable. It is a lifetime of trauma which follows you even to other countries.'

Tehran's growing reliance on terrorism, espionage, cyber attacks and hostage-taking diplomacy to silence its critics is deeply concerning, and Australia is not immune from this. The 2021 Census showed 70,899 people in Australia were born in Iran. In 2022, an Iranian surveillance operation was discovered which had been targeting a dual Iranian-Australian citizen who joined protests following the death of Jina Amini. Another woman reports to SBS that a decapitated animal had been delivered to her parents' home in Melbourne.

Concerningly, the mother of a leading Iranian-Australian protester was jailed in Tehran and interrogated about her Australian relatives in December 2022. It is clear that the regime's reach extends far beyond its borders, with increasing reports of protests being infiltrated and online threats sent to those who participate in them. I recognise the courage and the resilience of those within and outside of Iran who, despite facing immense challenges, continue to advocate for a future marked by freedom and justice.

It is imperative that we recognise and address the significance of what is happening in Iran for Australia and the international community alike. As representatives of our constituents and advocates for justice and human rights, it is crucial that we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom, democracy and dignity. Their struggles are our struggles, and their aspirations are our aspirations. By doing so, we uphold the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirm our commitment to a world where every individual can live with dignity and autonomy.

The state government, in particular, has a crucial role to play in fostering dialogue and engagement with these communities. By listening to their concerns, understanding their aspirations and standing in solidarity with them we can help empower them to be agents of change and advocate for their rights.

I would like to acknowledge here the Iranian community in South Australia and in other states, which has reached out and shared their stories with me. Thank you to the Australian Iranian Community Alliance and the Australian Supporters of Democracy in Iran for your fierce advocacy.

I commend the commonwealth's targeted sanctions against individuals and entities found to be directly responsible for or complicit in these violations. It is important to continue dialogue with Iran, pressing for accountability and addressing the grave human rights violations that are being perpetrated against the people in Iran in hopes for a peaceful transition towards a more inclusive and democratic Iran. I affirm my unwavering solidarity with the people in Iran, especially the women and girls who are courageously fighting for their fundamental human rights. Women, life, freedom.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. B.R. Hood.