Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Woman, life and freedom—that is, as Senator Steele-John alluded to, the cry for freedom that so many protesters in Iran and across the world are using. At the outset one of the reasons I want to speak on this matter of public importance is to convey to the Australian Iranian diaspora that every single senator in this place—and I'm sure every single member of the other place—stands with you in solidarity knowing that 16 September is going to be a very difficult day, because that is the day when Mahsa Jina Amini died after being violently arrested and detained by Iran's so-called morality police. There will be gatherings across Australia to commemorate the occasion. More than anything I think we in this place have an obligation to say to the Australian Iranian diaspora that we have not forgotten, we are still desperately concerned about the situation in Iran and there must be change—woman, life, freedom.

Those not familiar with the awful circumstances that occurred in Iran over the last 12 months, and before, can do no better than read the Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran report prepared for the Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly. That basically contains a roll call of atrocities committed by the authorities in Iran. Paragraph 13 of that reports describes how Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested by the morality police on 13 September 2022 while on a family visit to Tehran. Eyewitness accounts and other evidence indicate that she was violently beaten while being forcibly transferred to a detention centre. Reports, including images of Jina Mahsa Amini in the intensive care unit, suggest that she was assaulted on the head. Within hours of her arrest she fell into a coma and was transferred to Kasra Hospital. She was officially declared dead on 16 September 2022.

The United Nations report goes on:

The death of Jina Mahsa Amini was not an isolated event but the latest in a long series of extreme violence against women and girls committed by the Iranian authorities …

…   …   …

The Special Rapporteur regrets that the State authorities have failed to conduct any independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the death of Jina Mahsa Amini and consistently denied any misconduct or wrongdoing on their part.

Paragraph 21 talks about the use of unlawful lethal force against protesters. Paragraph 25, on killings of children, reads:

At least 64 children have reportedly been killed by security forces since the start of the protests, five of them, four girls and one boy, were beaten to death.

Paragraph 28 is on the overrepresentation of ethnic and religious minorities in killings. Paragraph 31 is on violence and killings during mourning ceremonies. Paragraph 32 refers to injuries of protesters and denial of medical care. Paragraph 34 is about mass arrests at peaceful protests, noting:

These include dozens of human rights defenders, at least 600 students, 45 lawyers, 576 civil society activists and at least 62 journalists.

In conclusion, please know that every senator in this chamber is standing in solidarity with our Australian-Iranian diaspora on the occasion of this anniversary.