Head of European Parliament Emphasizes Need for Practical Measures to Support Iranian Women
Despite expressions of support from important European institutions for the “right to protest” of demonstrators in Iran and the efforts of Iranian women to assert their rights, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, says the European Union must take steps beyond verbal support.
Ms. Metsola, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, stated that the European Union should not only condemn Iran’s actions but should also support practical measures to help these women achieve their fundamental freedoms.
According to Ms. Metsola, these fundamental freedoms and basic rights are considered self-evident for Europe, but “in the context of Iran-Europe, it had not received attention for a long time.”
The President of the European Parliament also emphasized that not only Iranian women should rise up, but “all Iranians should stand up for the realization of the violated rights of Iranian women.”
He stressed that Iran’s protests have received support from politicians, government decision-makers, and women around the world.
Ms. Metsola is a diplomat from Malta who was elected President of the European Parliament nine months ago and is the first woman to reach this position in the past 20 years. Since the beginning of Iran’s recent protests, she has spoken several more times in support of Iranian women, emphasizing that the world has heard the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The European Parliament, based in Strasbourg, France, is the supreme legislative body of the European Union whose 705 members are directly elected by citizens of 27 European countries. Together with the European Union Council, it makes joint decisions of member states and is one of the strongest institutions with binding decisions for all members.
The European Parliament, in its session on October 5, passed a resolution that strongly condemned the killing of Mahsa Amini following her “violent arrest” by the “morality police” and called for “impartial” and “effective” investigations into the matter.
Iran’s protests began 21 days ago in response to the death of Jina, a 22-year-old girl from Sanandaj, in detention by the “morality police” during a trip she was taking with her family to Tehran, and continue to this day.
The current protests in Iran, in an unprecedented way, have sparked a wave of solidarity and support from many women in other parts of the world, including in parliaments of countries and international organizations. On October 5, prior to the passage of the European Parliament’s resolution against some officials and institutions of the Islamic Republic, one female member of the European Parliament of Saudi descent cut her hair with scissors.
The European Parliament’s resolution, by imposing sanctions against Iranian officials involved in suppressing protests, supported the right of peaceful demonstration of the Iranian people and called on the Islamic Republic to release the detained protesters.
Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on October 5, called the European Parliament resolution “interventionist” and “one-sided and baseless prejudgment” against Iran, claiming that “extremist elements” in this parliament were responsible for passing this resolution to “continue hostility” with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Source: Radio Farda
