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17/02/2023 Advocacy, English,

Joint Letter: Stand with Iranian Women on International Women’s Day

The Right Honorable Ulf Kristersson

Prime Minister of Sweden

The Right Honorable Tobias Billström
Minister for Foreign Affairs for Sweden

February 15, 2023


Dear Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,

We are writing to urge the Swedish Government to take action to support the courageous women of Iran, who have been risking their lives to protest for freedom and basic human rights, by summoning the Iranian ambassador and, in its capacity as President of the European Union (EU) Council, calling on other EU member governments to do the same on March 8, International Women’s Day.



Women and girls in Iran, including ethnic and religious minorities, as well as the LBGTQI community, who all face severe and systemic discrimination in both law and practice, have been at the forefront of the anti-state protests that erupted in Iran in September following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini, 22, in state custody after she was arrested for her alleged inappropriate hijab.

Many of these women and girls have been shot dead in the streets as they peacefully protested, blinded by the live ammunition used against them by state security forces, violently detained without access to counsel, and sexually assaulted and beaten while in state custody. Still, the women and girls of Iran have persisted in their demands for basic rights and freedoms.

We are asking Sweden and EU member states to act in unison on March 8, International Women’s Day, by summoning the Iranian ambassador to demand that the Iranian government:

  1. Stop repressing women and arresting and imprisoning women who are calling for basic rights and freedoms in Iran.
  • End the physical and sexual violence against women detainees and protesters.
  • Cease all executions of political prisoners and annul all death sentences against protesters.

For decades, courageous Iranian women, including lawyers, activists, journalists, writers, poets, actresses, and mothers of the victims of state violence, have been demanding justice, freedom, equality, and basic civil liberties for all Iranians.

Women political prisoners, some of whom have been jailed for years for engaging in peaceful rights activism, support this struggle for freedom even from behind bars, by calling for an end to the executions of protesters in letters smuggled out of the prison.

By summoning Iranian ambassadors on Women’s Day, Sweden would signal to the Islamic Republic’s authorities that it will not stand by as the Iranian government uses lethal force to crush peaceful protest.

We hope your government will take part in this simple action to show the Iranian government that the EU will stand with the women of Iran in their struggle for freedom and fundamental human rights.

Most respectfully,

Center for Human Rights in Iran

United for Iran

Justice for Iran

Iran Human Rights

Iranian Diaspora Collective

Siamak Pourzand Foundation

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva

Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran

Kurdpa Human Rights Organization

Rasank

Impact Iran

6 Rang (Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network)

International Civil Society Action Network

Afghan Women’s Organization for Equality

Afghan Women News Agency Organization

Afghan Women Network

Association of War Affected Women (Sri Lanka)

ECPM (France)

PAIMAN (Pakistan)

Women for Justice Foundation

Woman Center for Development and Culture (Albania)

Women’s Peace Network (Myanmar)

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (Geneva)

Empatiku Foundation (Indonesia)

Coalition for Action on 1325 (Uganda)

Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica (Colombia)

Gender Equality Network (Myanmar)

Women Advocacy Coalition-Myanmar

Association Djazairouna (Algeria)

PEN America

Swedish PEN

PEN Germany

Danish PEN

Irish PEN

Fuuse

Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights

Peace Track Initiative

Equality Now

UPCOMING EVENTS

(all times in EST)

28 09 23
  • International Day for Universal Access to Information

    28 09 23

  • World Maritime Day

    28 09 23

  • World Rabies Day

    28 09 23

30 09 23
  • International Translation Day

    30 09 23

01 10 23
  • International Day of Older Persons

    01 10 23

02 10 23
  • International Day of Non-Violence

    02 10 23

  • World Habitat Day

    02 10 23

05 10 23
  • World Teachers’ Day

    05 10 23

09 10 23
  • World Post Day

    09 10 23

10 10 23
  • World Mental Health Day

    10 10 23

11 10 23
  • International Day of the Girl Child

    11 10 23

13 10 23
  • International Day for Disaster Reduction

    13 10 23

15 10 23
  • International Day of Rural Women

    15 10 23

16 10 23
  • World Food Day

    16 10 23

17 10 23
  • International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

    17 10 23

24 10 23
  • United Nations Day

    24 10 23

  • World Development Information Day

    24 10 23

27 10 23
  • World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

    27 10 23

31 10 23
  • World Cities Day

    31 10 23

02 11 23
  • International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

    02 11 23

05 11 23
  • World Tsunami Awareness Day

    05 11 23

06 11 23
  • International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

    06 11 23

10 11 23
  • World Science Day for Peace and Development

    10 11 23

14 11 23
  • World Diabetes Day

    14 11 23

16 11 23
  • International Day for Tolerance

    16 11 23

  • World Philosophy Day

    16 11 23

19 11 23
  • World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

    19 11 23

  • World Toilet Day

    19 11 23

20 11 23
  • Africa Industrialization Day

    20 11 23

  • Universal Children’s Day

    20 11 23

21 11 23
  • World Television Day

    21 11 23

25 11 23
  • International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

    25 11 23

29 11 23
  • International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

    29 11 23

01 12 23
  • World AIDS Day

    01 12 23

02 12 23
  • International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

    02 12 23

03 12 23
  • International Day of Persons with Disabilities

    03 12 23

05 12 23
  • International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

    05 12 23

  • World Soil Day

    05 12 23

07 12 23
  • International Civil Aviation Day

    07 12 23

09 12 23
  • International Anti-Corruption Day

    09 12 23

  • International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime

    09 12 23

10 12 23
  • Human Rights Day

    10 12 23

11 12 23
  • International Mountain Day

    11 12 23

12 12 23
  • International Day of Neutrality

    12 12 23

18 12 23
  • Arabic Language Day

    18 12 23

  • International Migrants Day

    18 12 23

20 12 23
  • International Human Solidarity Day

    20 12 23

27 01 24
  • International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

    27 01 24