Status: 09/22/2022 5:50 p.m
Foreign Minister Baerbock wants to make the case of Mahsa Amini, who died in Iranian police custody, a topic for the UN Human Rights Council. Amini had been arrested for violating the dress code.
After the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran and the subsequent protests, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wants to bring the events surrounding the case to the UN Human Rights Council. She announced this on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
If women are not safe, then no society in this world is safe, says Baerbock. “That’s why the brutal attack on the courageous women in Iran is also an attack on humanity.” The Amini case is a breach of women’s rights and thus a violation of human rights by Iran.
Iranian women from the province of Kurdistan set fire to a headscarf in protest. 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the vice squad for violating the strict Islamic dress code less than a week ago. Shortly thereafter she died.
Image: AFP
Nationwide protests against repressive policies
A week ago, 22-year-old Amini was arrested by the vice squad for violating the strict Islamic dress code. What exactly happened to her after the arrest is unclear. She fell into a coma and died in a hospital on Friday. Critics accuse the vice squad of using violence. The police deny the allegations.
Since then, thousands of people have been demonstrating in Iran against the government and its dress code, which is repressive of women. At least 17 people have died in protests and riots in dozens of Iranian cities. According to Iranian state media, both security forces and demonstrators are among the victims. Further details were not given.
The UN Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council replaced the UN Human Rights Commission in 2006. Its task is to protect and promote human and civil rights in the member states. The Council is made up of 47 member states elected by the UN General Assembly. About a third of them are re-determined every year. The Human Rights Council can pass resolutions and send observers to member countries, but it cannot impose sanctions.