Female foreign ministers publish joint statement on women's rights in Iran
Sixteen female foreign ministers met online on 20th October to discuss the serious human rights violations taking place in Iran, not least against women and children. Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Iceland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting which was hosted by Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. After the meeting the Foreign Ministers released a joint statement in which they condemn the Iranian government's brutal violence against demonstrators, call for an independent investigation and voice their support for the women of Iran.
Representatives of the Iranian demonstrators addressed the meeting and described their experiences, and the foreign ministers got the chance to ask them about the situation on the ground.
In her address, Foreign Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir spoke to the Iranian women present:
"I am shocked and saddened by the violent crackdown against protesters in Iran. I am inspired by your courage and by the courage of all of those who are facing a vicious response to the protests. It is our duty, as female foreign ministers, to show solidarity with your struggle and use our power and our voices in the service of your cause."
Iceland is among a group of states in the United Nations' Human Rights Council that has called upon the government of Iran to allow an independent investigation into the death of Mahsa Amini and to respect the human rights of women and minority groups in the country.
In the Human Rights Council, Iceland leads an annual resolution of the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Iceland also supports the establishment of a commission of inquiry to obtain and preserve evidence, with an emphasis on violations against women and children, of the ongoing violence in Iran and deliver a report to the Human Rights Council.
Iceland also enforces European Union sanctions against Iran put into place due to the Iranian government's partication in the persecution of peaceful protesters.