Matters of Public Importance
16 September 2024
I am also rising to add a contribution to the MPI brought forward by Senator Chandler. From the outset, I pay my respects on the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, whose Kurdish name was Jina. Her death rightly received widespread global condemnation and generated months of protests in Iran which were brutally suppressed by Iranian security forces. According to the United Nations, at least 551 people were killed during these protests, including 49 women and 68 children.
Amini’s tragic death was infuriating when it occurred and it remains so today, but let me be clear: her death will not be in vain and this is the view of the Albanese government, who wholeheartedly endorses the sentiment. A lot of her family and friends are committed to seeing change within Iran. The government has repeatedly raised concerns directly with Iran’s diplomatic representatives and continues to apply pressure on the Iranian regime. In fact, our government has taken stronger action against Iran on human rights than any previous government in this place.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, also today announced that the Australian government is imposing additional targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on another five Iranian individuals. This includes very senior security and law enforcement officials who have been involved in the repression of protests in Iran.
In late 2022, I served as the deputy chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, which had an inquiry into human rights implications of recent violence in Iran. At the time, I reiterated the government’s condemnation of the violent measures that were employed by the Iranian government against those who had been protesting the oppression of its own citizens.
I again place my solidarity with the Iranian people on the record here today. The appalling conduct of the IRGC and the threat it poses to international security and Iran’s own people cannot be ignored. The IRGC must be held to account, so I understand why people rightly are seeking every possible way to take action against the IRGC.
The Australian government is very much focused on taking meaningful steps to increase pressure on the IRGC and to hold them to account. This is why the government has now sanctioned 195 Iran-linked individuals and entities, including almost 100 individuals and entities that are linked to the IRGC, since the protests began back in September 2022.
Federal Labor’s concern about the conduct of the IRGC predates the ongoing protests, which is why the former Labor government sanctioned the IRGC as a whole in 2010. In fact, it is the only government, a federal Labor administration, that has put sanctions on the IRGC. Unlike previous governments who spent a whole decade talking about action and did nothing about it, federal Labor is the only party that has taken decisive action against the IRGC.
The strength of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has grown since the death of Jina. Sadly, however, human rights in Iran remain deeply concerning, especially for women and girls. Earlier this year Iranian authorities launched new measures to enforce compulsory hijab laws through increased surveillance cameras and harassment for women who fail to comply with this dress code. No-one anywhere in the world should be discriminated on the grounds of their gender, and it’s incumbent on the government to hold Iran to account for its violations of human rights.
I acknowledge the extraordinary courage of those in Iran and abroad who continue to express their fierce opposition to the oppressive practices of the Iranian government, often at great risk. Iran must uphold the fundamental rights of all citizens, and our government stands united with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and empowerment.
