Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler has submitted a proposal under standing order 75 today:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:

In acknowledging the one year anniversary of the death of Mahsa 'Jina' Amini, the need for the Senate to express its unequivocal opposition to the violent oppression of Iranian women and girls and the arbitrary imprisonment and execution of protesters, and condemn the harassment and intimidation attempts against critics of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime in Australia, the regime's involvement in terrorism, the provision of drones to Russia for use against Ukraine and the use of hostage diplomacy against western nations.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 16 September 2022, 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa 'Jina' Amini died after being violently arrested and detained by Iran's so-called morality police. Her alleged crime was not covering her hair in public. For this, she lost her life. Over the last 12 months, tens of thousands of Iranians, including many thousands of young women and girls, have been severely injured, arbitrarily detained, sexually assaulted or killed at the hands of Iranian authorities. Despite this, young Iranians, led by extraordinarily brave women, have courageously continued to fight for their human rights and the future of their country. They have been met with violence and severe repression, but they persist and they will continue to persist. They deserve our support, just as the Islamic Republic of Iran regime deserves the world's condemnation.

The IRI regime is responsible for severe human rights violations. It is responsible for the oppression of women and girls. It is responsible for terrorism not only in its own region but exported across the world. It is responsible for funding and providing direction to designated terrorist organisations including Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It is responsible for political assassinations and bombings. It is responsible for ongoing attempts to assassinate or abduct its critics living in Western countries. It is responsible for major cybercrime and hacking aimed at damaging Australia and our allies. It is responsible for abducting Western citizens for the purposes of gaining ransom in the form of billions of dollars and gaining leverage over Western nations. It is responsible for providing drones and weaponry to Putin to prolong his invasion of Ukraine and to kill and injure Ukrainian civilians. It is attempting to build nuclear weapons and, along the way, to use its nuclear weapons program to extract funding and concessions from the West. And it is responsible for directly targeting Australians on Australian soil with threats to their safety and to the safety of their family members in Iran. It has done this repeatedly and regularly over the last 12 months in an attempt to silence its critics here in Australia. This is just a partial snapshot of the evil and malignant behaviour of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime.

The fact that the regime is engaged in all of the above behaviour is not in any dispute. It is all known and acknowledged by governments the world over, including our own. Because of the inquiry of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, which was supported by all members in this chamber, this behaviour is known to all of us in this parliament. However, I do note that, more than seven months since our committee reported, this government is yet to release its response to the report or to implement the majority of the recommendations made.

It is important that this Senate once again today, on the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, demonstrates our complete and unequivocal condemnation and opposition to all the abhorrent behaviour I have outlined here this afternoon. But it is even more important that Australia takes action to make the regime accountable for all it has done and continues to do that trashes human rights and a rules based international system. The Islamic Republic of Iran regime wants to be able to behave as a criminal and terrorist regime, to kill and injure with impunity but then to be treated as a reputable player in global affairs—to enjoy the trappings of international diplomacy, to reap the rewards of quiet backroom dealings and to be appointed to leadership positions at the United Nations. The most concerning thing is that they are getting away with it. They are growing their influence in the region. They are earning billions from evading sanctions and through ransom. They are still being appointed to United Nations positions.

It is not acceptable that we are still told that it's not appropriate to talk in a public forum about the regime's attempts to threaten Australia and leverage our country. It is the IRI regime that wants to supress public discussion of its behaviour, and we must not give in to that.

Linda White (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government supports Senator Chandler's matter of public importance motion, based on our ongoing concern for the Iranian regime's widespread disregard for the human rights of its own people. In the year following Mahsa Jina Amini's death there has been widespread media reporting that Iran's morality police have resumed enforcing mandatory hijab laws, despite earlier indications that they had effectively disbanded. This speaks to the very nature of the situation in Iran. The brutal campaign in the Iranian regime is ongoing, is multifaceted and has long oppressed women, minorities and protestors.

As such, the Albanese government will continue to use every strategy at our disposal to uphold human rights. We will prepare to adaptively and strategically apply pressure on the Iranian regime. Undoubtedly the arrest, detention and ill treatment of Mahsa Amini fortified Australia's stance with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and power. I would like to acknowledge the cumulative Australian government efforts to consistently and forcefully raise our concerns internationally and directly with Iran.

The subsequent February 2023 recommendations from the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee inquiry on human rights implications of recent violence in Iran will be formally responded to in due course. I'm particularly proud of the Labor government's response on these issues to date. The Albanese government has taken stronger action against Iran on human rights than any previous Australian government. Our work is not done, however, and I would like to reflect on our efforts to date. Our condemnation of Iran has set a benchmark for how Australian governments should hold perpetrators to account.

In terms of international condemnation, Australia has been at the forefront of efforts to call out Iran, in concert with other nations. We've spearheaded efforts to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. We co-sponsored the successful Human Rights Council resolution to independently investigate human rights violations in Iran. Additionally, the government has raised concerns directly with Iran through diplomatic channels. Foreign Minister Wong spoke with the Iranian foreign minister on 22 March to express Australia's condemnation of Iran's brutal crackdown on protesters, the execution of protestors and the oppression of women.

The Labor government's unequivocal opposition to the Iranian human rights situation can be expressed as follows. The Albanese government condemns the Iranian execution of protestors. We oppose the death penalty in all situations for all people. Pressure will continue to be applied on Iran to establish a moratorium on its use of the death penalty. This sentiment can be repeated in statements directly to the Iranian foreign minister, to the Iranian regime in Teheran and to Iran's representatives in Australia.

We condemn the harassment, surveillance and intimidation of the Iranian community in Australia. As a country, we do not tolerate attempts by foreign regimes to disrupt peaceful protests, which is the heart of Australian democracy. Our criminal offences for espionage and foreign interference are robust and unequivocal. We urge families and individuals who have received threats to report them to the National Security Hotline, the Australian Federal Police or state and territory police. Remember: you have the right to protest and express your views. We will not stand for the suppression of views on human rights abuses.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a malignant actor that is a threat to the international community as well as well as its own people. I echo the Attorney-General's submission to the Senate enquiry. The position of the IRGC is an organ of a nation-state. It is not covered by the terrorist organisation provisions of the Criminal Code. Despite this, we empathise with those calling for the IRGC to be listed under the Criminal Code. We hear that they want to hold the IRGC accountable for their actions. My electorate office has received many emails and calls expressing this point of view. We are committed to addressing this concern, and that is why we are using tools other than the Criminal Code to take meaningful action. We have imposed sanctions on 27 IRGC-linked individuals and 21 IRGC-linked entities.

Australia's quick and effective response to human rights abuses in Iran illustrates that the Albanese government sees things through. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Iran autonomous sanctions framework will continue to shape our efforts to condemn the Iranian regime. Ultimately, I am proud to know that my speech today is already and will continue to be backed by the actions of the Labor government.

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been a year since the death of Mahsa 'Jina' Amini, and Iranians continue to face terror and violence under the current regime. Now, this is not a new behaviour for the Iranian regime. In 1988 Iranian authorities acting under the orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini summarily and extrajudicially executed thousands of political prisoners across the country. They executed between 2,800 and 5,000 prisoners in at least 32 cities across the country. Today, over 10 people are put to death each week in Iran. Think about that: 10 families ripped apart at the hands of a brutal state, often for doing no more or less than speaking up for democracy, speaking up for freedom. In 2022 alone, 582 people were executed. This year there have already been 474 executions—and those are only the ones that we know about.

This is a regime that, while it perpetrates terror upon its own citizens, is also supporting Russia in its illegal war against Ukraine, including with the supply of drones, which Russia is then using in the commission of war crimes.

Too many innocent Iranians have lost their lives, have been repressed, have been silenced, and too many families have grieved and felt loss and pain under this regime. The endless persecution of peaceful protesters continues as we sit here in the Senate. Iran's so-called 'morality police' still arrest women for not acting in accordance with their interpretations of the law. They still place people within environments that lead to their torture and their murder.

Now, let us look with a clear eye upon the actions of this government in relation to Iran. This government will often proudly claim that it has done more on Iran than any previous government. Well, when the bar is as low as that set by the last mob that is nothing to crow about. The reality of the Albanese government's response to the humanitarian disaster in Iran and the persecution of the Iranian people is that it was too slow, it was grudgingly enacted and it has continued to fail to keep pace with the contemporary evolutions on the ground. It has been months since the foreign minister has made a statement about Iran. In fact—and they've recently been called out for this publicly—the foreign minister has not criticised Iran since she last condemned the May execution of Majid Kazemi alongside other democracy activists. That condemnation was overdue, but since then there has been nothing—absolutely nothing.

We have not expanded our Magnitsky sanctions against Iran since March of this year. This is not a fair reflection of the urgency with which the Iranian community is lobbying the Australian government for action. Every day Australian Iranians across the country are working—they are giving their time, labour and energy—to ensure that the cause of democracy, freedom of women and life in Iran is something with which this government has to contend. In that continual work the Australian Greens are with them, proudly in solidarity. The government must stop resting on its laurels here. It should get up off the mat and get to work alongside this movement for women, for life and for freedom.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 16 September 2022 Mahsa Amini, with dark-brown eyes and a gentle smile, died after succumbing to her injuries caused by a brutal detainment by the Iranian morality police on the charge of violating Iran's mandatory dress code. She was just 22. She left a devastated family, and the promise of a life completely unfulfilled. Mahsa became the face of the movement that called for fundamental human rights under the three simple words that have been repeated here in the chamber and continue to echo around the world: woman, life, freedom.

One year on, we remember this tragedy and we continue to push for justice for her and her family. I stand in solidarity with my colleagues in this chamber and the other place, and I acknowledge the very significant contribution led by Senator Scarr, who cited a report. In a country such as ours—a free democracy—we take the right to report, the right to investigate, and the right to put these things on the record in our own countries and internationally for granted. But a document that records historical evidence of the kind that you put on the record is a very, very powerful tool, and an ever-present reminder that cannot be erased of what happened—sadly, not just to Mahsa Amini but also to so many women and children in Iran.

I say to the Iranian-Australian diaspora, in the same vein indicated by Senator Scarr, that we will continue to agitate for democratic principles everywhere in the world, and we will not forget Mahsa Amini. We haven't forgotten, we won't forget and we will, carefully, act. That is a really important part of what good governments do. We can't afford simply to be protesters that continue to protest forever. We have to build multilateral relationships of trust. We have to deliver the kinds of opportunities for economic growth, civic education, possibility and partnerships that are necessary to do the hard work of generating democracy in countries where it has either been dismissed, been trashed or never really fully arrived and developed.

The Albanese government is deeply concerned with the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian regime's flagrant and widespread disregard for the most fundamental human rights of its own people is a deep contradiction of the values that the Australian government and its citizens hold dear: democracy, human rights, suffrage and freedom of religion. These are fundamentals in our society, and they rightfully colour our relations with all other nations. Australia is a nation proud of our values. We're not afraid to hold that conviction, if necessary, in contrast to and against nations that show brazen contempt of those critical values. Australia stands with the people of Iran as they courageously demand full respect for their human rights despite the threats against them.

On a personal level, I am a steadfast supporter of women and international human rights. I note that Iran is in fact a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and as a signatory it should honour the ideas, the values and the principles that underpin that document and to which it has already agreed. It was a good idea for the Iranian people to sign up in support of the United Nations. It is a good idea for them now to implement the values to which they remain signatory.

Australia is holding the perpetrators of the Islamic Republic of Iran to account in an orderly, multilateral way. We are certainly at the forefront of efforts to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, demonstrating Australia's practice of upholding those democratic values in the international arena. We cosponsored and advocated for the successful Human Rights Council resolution establishing an independent investigation into human rights violations in Iran, and the Australian government has imposed three packages of sanctions. Our work is not done, and today— (Time expired)

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to support this matter of public importance, and I welcome the fact it is something that has brought all sides of this Senate chamber to a common position. Far too often, people are somewhat cynical about politics in Australia and even this establishment of the parliament. But, for those who question the value of a plural liberal democracy, I say that 'plural' means that you're allowed to have views that may differ from those of the party holding government or other people in society. It means that you are allowed to gather together to express those views and that your rights as an individual are respected by law and by others in the society. It means that you have the back of your fellow citizens and the best interests of your government. A democracy—a true democracy—means that, if your government is not living up to those expectations, you and your fellow citizens have the opportunity to remove them. It may come as a surprise to many who have not carefully studied the actions of other forms of government, but that's not the universal experience of people in all countries around the world. When people talk about totalitarian regimes, you've just got to look at how they treat the individuals within their nation, their own people, to understand the difference between life here in Australia or another plural liberal democracy and life in a totalitarian state.

I will read from the foreword to the report of the inquiry that my colleague Senator Chandler initiated through the Senate foreign affairs and trade committee, in relation to what happened after the death of this young woman:

State security forces—

of the Islamic Republic of Iran—

have used live ammunition and seemingly indiscriminate force against civilians. Hundreds have been killed and many thousands wounded. Tens of thousands have been arrested. A number have been sentenced to death—some already executed—without access to a fair trial. Confessions are extracted through torture. Adults and children are subjected to horrific physical and sexual abuse in prison. The evidence presented to the committee painfully illustrates the wholesale maltreatment of a nation by the very authorities whose job it is supposed to be to safeguard and protect the Iranian population.

We need to value and protect what we have here in Australia, but we also need to speak up for people who do not have the benefits and security of what we have here. That's because that pattern of behaviour is not isolated to this one incident.

In 1999, in 2009, in 2017-18, in 2019, in 2020 and now in 2022, we have seen a similar pattern of people seeking to speak up for their right to hold an opinion, to gather together and to demand, for example, the basic things that we take for granted, such as freedom of the press, only to be attacked by their own government. The forces which are meant to be there to protect and enable are in fact used to oppress and to preserve power for the few, and to deny the people their rights. The figures are that in this most recent round of violence over 500 people have been killed and more than 20,000 detained arbitrarily through this system.

This is a nation that should not be welcomed into the international community under the current regime. It's disappointing to see bodies like the United Nations appointing representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran to bodies such as, for example, the United Nations Human Rights Council—to actually chair parts of that council. There is such contradiction in that action and we need to continue speaking out against that. We need to continue speaking out against their overt support for groups such as Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and for those who would visit terrorism on others. A nation that will take hostages for diplomatic and political outcomes is not a nation that we should encourage or support in any way, and Iran's support for Russia's illegal war in Ukraine through provision of drones is something that continues to be condemned.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time for the discussion has expired.