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)

02 04 23
  • World Autism Awareness Day

    02 04 23

03 04 23
  • HRC52: Iran Resolution Vote / Appt. of Mandate Holders

    03 04 23  6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

04 04 23
  • 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council: Closing

    04 04 23
    Geneva Switzerland

06 04 23
  • International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

    06 04 23

07 04 23
  • International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda

    07 04 23

  • World Health Day

    07 04 23

12 04 23
  • International Day of Human Space Flight

    12 04 23

20 04 23
  • Chinese Language Day

    20 04 23

21 04 23
  • World Creativity and Innovation Day

    21 04 23

22 04 23
  • International Mother Earth Day

    22 04 23

23 04 23
  • English Language Day

    23 04 23

  • Spanish Language Day

    23 04 23

    http://www.un.org/es/events/spanishlanguageday/

  • World Book and Copyright Day

    23 04 23

25 04 23
  • World Malaria Day

    25 04 23

26 04 23
  • International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

    26 04 23

  • World Intellectual Property Day

    26 04 23

28 04 23
  • World Day for Safety and Health at Work

    28 04 23

29 04 23
  • Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

    29 04 23

30 04 23
  • International Jazz Day

    30 04 23

02 05 23
  • World Tuna Day

    02 05 23

03 05 23
  • World Press Freedom Day

    03 05 23

04 05 23
  • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War

    04 05 23 - 05 05 23  

05 05 23
  • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War

    04 05 23 - 05 05 23  

10 05 23
  • "Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon

    10 05 23

  • World Migratory Bird Day

    10 05 23

15 05 23
  • International Day of Families

    15 05 23

17 05 23
  • World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

    17 05 23

21 05 23
  • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

    21 05 23

22 05 23
  • International Day for Biological Diversity

    22 05 23

23 05 23
  • International Day to End Obstetric Fistula

    23 05 23

29 05 23
  • International Day of UN Peacekeepers

    29 05 23

31 05 23
  • World No-Tobacco Day

    31 05 23

01 06 23
  • Global Day of Parents

    01 06 23

04 06 23
  • International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

    04 06 23

05 06 23
  • World Environment Day

    05 06 23

06 06 23
  • Russian Language Day

    06 06 23

08 06 23
  • World Oceans Day

    08 06 23

12 06 23
  • World Day Against Child Labour

    12 06 23

13 06 23
  • International Albinism Awareness Day

    13 06 23

14 06 23
  • World Blood Donor Day

    14 06 23

15 06 23
  • World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

    15 06 23

16 06 23
  • International Day of Family Remittances

    16 06 23

17 06 23
  • World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

    17 06 23

18 06 23
  • Sustainable Gastronomy Day

    18 06 23

19 06 23
  • International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

    19 06 23

20 06 23
  • World Refugee Day

    20 06 23

21 06 23
  • International Day of Yoga

    21 06 23

23 06 23
  • International Widows' Day

    23 06 23

  • United Nations Public Service Day

    23 06 23

25 06 23
  • Day of the Seafarer

    25 06 23

26 06 23
  • International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

    26 06 23

  • United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

    26 06 23

27 06 23
  • Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day

    27 06 23

29 06 23
  • International Day of the Tropics

    29 06 23

30 06 23
  • International Asteroid Day

    30 06 23

01 07 23
  • International Day of Cooperatives

    01 07 23

11 07 23
  • World Population Day

    11 07 23

15 07 23
  • World Youth Skills Day

    15 07 23

18 07 23
  • Nelson Mandela International Day

    18 07 23

28 07 23
  • World Hepatitis Day

    28 07 23

30 07 23
  • International Day of Friendship

    30 07 23

  • World Day against Trafficking in Persons

    30 07 23