UN removes Iran from women's rights body over crackdown on protests

Iran was removed from a United Nations women’s body on Wednesday due to their internal policies which were deemed harmful to women’s rights. The United States advocated for the removal following the crackdown by the Iranian government on protesters over the death of Mahsa Amini.

The decision was taken by the 54-member UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with 29 members voting in favour of the removal, eight against while 16 members did not vote.

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US-drafted resolution to "remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term."

“Today in a historic vote, UN acted to remove Iran from Commission on the Status of Women in response to the Iranian regime’s systemic repression of women & girls. This vote is another sign of growing international consensus on Iran & demands for accountability,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said after the vote according to AFP.

“US working with our allies & partners around the world to hold Iran accountable for abuses it's committing against its own people, notably peaceful protesters, women & girls & violence it's enabling against Ukrainian people, as well as its destabilizing actions in Middle East,” he added.

Ahead of the voting, the US ambassador said that the Tehran’s membership in the UN body is an “ugly stain on the commission’s credibility”. In reply, Iran’s ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that the move to remove Iran is illegal and even accused the US of bullying the other members.