Iran not allowed to attend Davos summit in Switzerland after thousands died in nationwide protests

Amid the nationwide protest in which thousands have been reported dead, the World Economic Forum (WEF) withdrew an invitation for Iran’s foreign minister to attend the Davos summit in Switzerland on Monday (Dec 19). This was after an advocacy group urged it to do so. In a post on X, the WEF confirmed that Abbas Araghchi would not be permitted to attend the five-day event.

"Although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year," the organisation said.

UANI CEO Ambassador Mark Wallace welcomed the decision, telling Fox News Digital in a statement after Araghchi’s invitation was withdrawn: "UANI commends the World Economic Forum for revoking the invitation of Iran’s Foreign Minister from this year’s gathering in Davos. Iranian regime representatives should not be platformed at international events given their crimes against the Iranian people and their long history of supporting terrorism."

This came after a recent report in which a human rights group claimed that a teenager was among the people who were sexually assaulted in custody by the security forces.

Two people, including a child, who were detained in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran, told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that they were sexually molested by riot police during the detention.

“During the transfer, security forces touched their bodies with batons. They beat and applied pressure to the anal area with a baton through the clothing,” said Rebin Rahmani, of the KHRN.

Over 20,000 people have been arrested so far since the beginning of the protest in Iran in December. Rights groups have expressed the fear of their treatment in detention. Since the start of the current protests in late December, 3,766 people have been killed, and 8,949 other reported deaths are under investigation, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.