Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A letter has been received from Senator Chandler:

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

Despite the worldwide Women, Life, Freedom protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death two years ago today at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran's military police, the Iranian regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continue to commit severe human rights violations, particularly against women and girls, and continue to use violence and terrorism against civilians in Iran, across the Middle East, and around the world.

Is the proposal supported?

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

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with informal arrangements made by the whips.

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

Today marks two years since the killing of Mahsa 'Jina' Amini at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime. Her tragic death sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, which saw so many Iranian women, girls and young people bravely put their lives on the line to challenge a deeply misogynistic regime which uses fear and violence to maintain its grip on power. The astounding courage that Iranian women showed to stand up and challenge the regime by refusing to cover their hair, as the IRI regime demands that women and girls must, was inspirational but also profoundly shocking to those of us who are fortunate to live in countries where this kind of repression is almost unthinkable.

The Woman, Life, Freedom movement in support of Iranian women spread around the world. Here in Australia, tens of thousands of people attended vigils and protests calling for action by Western governments to hold the IRI regime accountable for its abhorrent actions; to hold them accountable for Mahsa Amini's death and the death of so many other protesters and civilians; to hold them accountable for the gross violations of women's human rights in Iran; to hold them accountable for the terrorism which they support—terrorism which is designed to help spread the evil ideology of the Islamic Republic to neighbouring countries; and to hold them accountable for the deaths, the sexual violence and repression of women and girls that their ideology and their terrorism causes.

The Australian Senate has on a number of occasions joined together to condemn unreservedly the killing of Mahsa Amini and the appalling mistreatment of women and girls by the IRI regime. In doing so, the Senate agreed unanimously to a Senate inquiry into the human rights implications of the regime's violence. The inquiry, which I was privileged to chair, reported at the start of February 2023 and made 12 recommendations for urgent action by the Australian government. Among those crucial recommendations were that the Australian government should take the steps to enable a terror listing of the IRGC and that the relevant ministers should report to parliament on the intimidation and threats by the IRI regime, something that has been confirmed is occurring. We recommend that the government should minimise relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran regime in recognition of the appalling behaviour of that regime. And we recommend any Iranian officials in Australia considered to be involved in intimidation, threats or monitoring of Australians be expelled.

Two years on from the death of Mahsa Amini, how much has really changed? Women and girls in Iran continue to suffer violence at the hands of authorities. The IRI regime has dramatically expanded its terrorism in the Middle East, including by funding and supporting Hamas to carry out the horrific October 7 attacks in which more than 1,200 innocent people, including defenceless women and children, were slaughtered in cold blood. The IRI regime continues to move closer to developing a nuclear bomb. It continues to increase its support for and delivery of weapons to Russia and it continues to threaten, intimidate and spy on critics around the world, including here in Australia.

We need to acknowledge that the IRI regime have been allowed to develop a model in which the worse their behaviour is the more we are told we cannot afford to take action to hold them accountable. We still have not listed the IRGC as a terrorism organisation nor taken any steps to do so. We still have the Iranian ambassador openly advocating extreme antisemitism and the eradication of a democratic nation. We still have Australians living in fear that the regime is watching them and threatening their families. If the Islamic republic regime is able to get away with its human rights abuses and terrorism, others will continue to follow. Look at what is happening once again to women in Afghanistan right now under Taliban rule. How long until we hear how important it is to engage and to have dialogue with the Taliban, as we are told that we must with the IRI regime?

We owe it to Mahsa 'Gina' Amini and to the women of Iran and to the women all around the world, oppressed and mistreated by those in power, not to move our attention onto something else and in doing so normalise and accept this behaviour.

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am also rising to add a contribution to the MPI brought forward by Senator Chandler. From the outset, I pay my respects on the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, whose Kurdish name was Gina. Her death rightly received widespread global condemnation and generated months of protests in Iran which were brutally suppressed by Iranian security forces. According to the United Nations, at least 551 people were killed during these protests, including 49 women and 68 children.

Amini's tragic death was infuriating when it occurred and it remains so today, but let me be clear; her death will not be in vain. And this is the view of the Albanese government, who wholeheartedly endorses the sentiment. A lot of her family and friends are committed to seeing change within Iran. The government has repeatedly raised concerns directly with Iran's diplomatic representatives and continues to apply pressure on the Iranian regime. In fact, our government has taken stronger action against Iran on human rights than any previous government in this place has. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, also today announced that the Australian government is imposing additional targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on another five Iranian individuals. This includes very senior security and law enforcement officials who have been involved in the repression of protests in Iran.

In late 2022, I served as the deputy chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, which had an inquiry into human rights implications of recent violence in Iran. At the time, I reiterated the government's condemnation of the violent measures that were employed by the Iranian government against those who had been protesting the oppression of its own citizens. I again place my solidarity with the Iranian people on the record here today.

The appalling conduct of the IRGC and the threat it poses to international security and Iran's own people cannot be ignored. The IRGC must be held to account, so I understand why people rightly are seeking every possible way to take action against the IRGC. The Australian government is very much focused on taking meaningful steps to increase pressure on the IRGC and to hold them to account. This is why the government has now sanctioned 195 Iran-linked individuals and entities, including almost 100 individuals and entities that are linked to the IRGC, since the protests began back in September 2022. Federal Labor's concern about the conduct of the IRGC predates the ongoing protests, which is why the former Labor government sanctioned the IRGC as a whole in 2010. In fact, it is the only government—a federal Labor administration—that has put sanctions on the IRGC. Unlike previous governments who spent almost a decade talking about action and did nothing about it, federal Labor is the only party that has taken decisive action against the IRGC.

The strength of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has grown since the death of Jina. Sadly, however, the human rights situation in Iran remains deeply concerning, especially for women and girls. Earlier this year, Iranian authorities launched new measures to enforce compulsory hijab laws through increased surveillance cameras and harassment for women who fail to comply with this dress code. No-one anywhere in the world should be discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, and it's incumbent on the government to hold Iran to account for its violations of human rights.

I acknowledge the extraordinary courage of those in Iran and abroad who continue to express their fierce opposition to the oppressive practices of the Iranian government, often at great risk. Iran must uphold the fundamental rights of all citizens, and our government stands united with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and empowerment.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since Jina Mahsa Amini's death in custody two years ago, we have seen brave women and allies unite against the oppressive Iranian regime. Yesterday, on the second anniversary of Ms Amini's tragic death, courageous women political prisoners were heard chanting, 'Woman, life, freedom.' Thirty-four women prisoners began a hunger strike, starting yesterday. The fight for freedom for women and girls in Iran is far from over.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, continues to commit severe human rights violations, particularly against women and girls in Iran. We welcome the Albanese government's announcement today to impose sanctions and travel bans on an additional five Iranian individuals who have been complicit in the violent repression of protests in Iran, but the Greens are calling on the Albanese government to go further and declare the IRGC a terrorist organisation.

The Australian Greens remain in solidarity with the women and girls of Iran. We condemn the Iranian regime's ongoing crackdown on human rights activists.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to associate myself with the remarks of my fellow senators on this very, very important occasion and this extremely important matter on the second anniversary of the unlawful death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022. I want to read from a release put out by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran on 13 September 2024. It's titled 'Update on the situation of women and girls in the context of the September 2022 protests and the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in the Islamic Republic of Iran'. I quote:

… from the months preceding this anniversary of the September 2022 protests, State authorities—

that is, Iranian state authorities—

have expanded repressive measures and policies to further deprive women and girls of their fundamental rights.

Further:

Between July and September 20224, arrests and detention of family members of protesters killed in the context of the movement also intensified …

Just reflect on that. These are Iranian families who've lost family members who died as a result of these protests and as a result of the actions of the Iranian regime, and now these family members of protesters who've been killed are themselves being subject to persecution, particularly in Iran's minority provinces, including Sistan and Baluchestan, Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan. The report continues:

On this day, the Mission reiterates its call to the Islamic Republic of Iran to investigate and prosecute crimes against protesters, including women and girls … In light of ongoing persecutory acts against women and girls, coupled with the absence of meaningful justice and accountability for protesters and their families within Iran, States must continue to place the situation of women and girls in the Islamic Republic of Iran high on the international agenda.

That is what we're doing here today, and it is fit and proper that we do so.

I want to pay tribute to some of the courageous women who continue to fight for freedom within the borders of Iran. I speak of Zhina Modares Gorji, a Kurdish women's rights activist who was arrested by plain-clothes agents in September 2022 and was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to 21 years in prison and internal exile for her public support, including on social media, of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. I pay tribute to Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labour activist originally from East Azerbaijan province and residing in Rasht city, who was sentenced to death by branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court for armed rebellion against the state, based on allegations of membership of an opposition group. I pay tribute to Pakshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist, who was the second woman sentenced to death in July. On 17 July 2024, branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Ms Azizi on charges of so-called armed rebellion against the state—again, for her alleged membership of the Kurdistan Free Life Party. I pay tribute to Varisheh Moradi and Nasim Simiari, two women activists who remain at serious risk of the death penalty, having been charged with the same national security offences. And I pay tribute to Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who has continued to advocate for equality and freedom as part of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement while she has been in custody.

This chamber will continue to advocate to support those seeking freedom within the borders of Iran, and we will continue to advocate for and show solidarity with our wonderful Iranian diaspora across the whole of Australia. I say to the Iranian government and to the Iranian regime: any threats, any persecution or any attack on those within our borders who form part of the Iranian diaspora is an attack on this institution, an attack on our freedoms and an attack on every single elected member of parliament. We are watching, we are supporting our Iranian diaspora and we support Woman, Life, Freedom.

Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I too want to address the ongoing and grave situation in Iran as we mark the second anniversary of the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini. I begin by highlighting the decisive steps the Australian government has taken in response to Iran's continued human rights violations.

Under this government, we have taken stronger action against Iran on human rights than under any previous Australian government. We have imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 195 Iran linked individuals and entities, including almost 100 associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This action underscores our commitment to holding the Iranian regime accountable for its severe human rights violations against women and girls and against free speech. Just today, my colleague Senator Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, has announced additional targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on an additional five Iranian individuals. As mentioned earlier by Senator Ciccone, these are senior security and law enforcement officials who have been directly involved in the violent repression of protests in Iran. This strategic action is part of our broader commitment to challenging the regime's ongoing abuses and ensuring those responsible face consequences. It also sits alongside the Australian government's internationally known stance for strong, evidence based advocacy on the abolition of the death penalty.

This government has expanded the scope of the Iran autonomous sanctions regime specifically to address the oppression of women and girls in Iran and the general oppression of the population. On this two-year anniversary of the horror that has unfolded, let's remember: Mahsa Jina Amini was a young Kurdish Iranian woman arrested in September 2022 for improperly wearing her hijab. Her arrest, alleged torture and subsequent death in custody sparked a wave of protests, driven by a demand for justice, equality and fundamental freedoms. The Iranian regime's response to these peaceful demonstrations was brutally repressive, with security forces violently quashing dissent and causing the deaths of more than 500 people, including women and children.

Two years on from Mahsa Amini's death, the human rights situation in Iran remains deeply troubling. We have seen escalating violence against these extraordinarily brave activists, who are standing up in defiance. Yet they are showing unbelievable courage in rising up against the sort of oppression that we here in Australia could never imagine. Earlier this year, Iranian authorities intensified their enforcement of mandatory hijab laws, using increased surveillance and harassment to control women's choices and suppress dissent. The regime has also escalated its use of the death penalty, with over 400 executions recorded this year alone, including of 15 women. The oppression extends to ethnic and religious minorities, arbitrary detentions and the persecution of human rights defenders. The regime's actions have a chilling effect on free expression and basic human rights both within Iran and beyond its borders.

In stark contrast to the Albanese government's proactive stance, the previous government took no significant action against the Iranian regime. During their nine years in office, they did not impose a single new sanction on Iran, nor did they challenge Iran's position on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, despite the regime's record of human rights abuses. I am proud that our government has been at the forefront of international efforts to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. We have consistently raised our concerns directly with the Iranian government, demonstrating our commitment to human rights and justice. The opposition may criticise our approach, but, when we look at their record, the facts speak for themselves. Over nine years in government, we saw their inaction and silence. There was not a single new sanction on Iran. There was not one word of complaint when Iran was elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, a committee they were a member of. This government has demonstrated a clear and unwavering commitment to holding the Iranian regime accountable and supporting the brave individuals fighting for their rights in Iran. We use actions, not just words.

As we reflect on Mahsa Amini's legacy today, along with the continuing acts of bravery by Iranian women and other people, plus others around the world in defiance through their various acts of resistance, we reaffirm our support for the people of Iran, especially the activists—the women and girls who continue to show immense courage in their struggle for equality and freedom. This government stands in solidarity with them.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 8 December 2022, a young man, Mohsen Shekari, was hanged in an Iranian prison; he was taken to the gallows. Witnesses said he cried out, 'I sacrifice my life for Iran.' This young man was the first known execution triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Her crime was not wearing her headscarf properly and joining protests demanding more freedom for women in Iran. According to Amnesty International, women and girls are being imprisoned and assaulted in increasing numbers for not wearing a veil or for driving a car without a man, and the parliament in Iran is close to passing laws that will make it easier for police and security services to oppress, arrest and imprison women and girls. It is disgraceful, and Iran should be called out for it.

I thank Senator Chandler for bringing on this important matter today. It's nice to see the Australian Greens senator, Larissa Waters, also speaking up for women in the Middle East. That's not something they've been making a habit of this year. I was waiting for them to bring on a motion about what the Taliban is doing. The Taliban have cooked up more laws that not only tell women they have to hide their faces and their bodies but that also tell women they are now not allowed to use their voices outside their homes. They're not allowed to go to school beyond sixth class, and women aren't allowed to work or go to gyms or parks.

You would think the Greens might have more to say about this, but the Australian Greens haven't brought a single motion forward in the 47th Parliament about the treatment of women in Iran and Afghanistan—not a word about the Taliban and not a word about Iran. Do you know why? It's because they are hypocrites. They choose which groups of women they're going to help and which they're not. This is how it works. We've seen this with the footwear and textile ladies in the CFMEU. They would rather stand up for the bullies of the CFMEU. They're happy to whip up hate and division, but they're not happy standing up for the rights of women in the Middle East. Today is just not going to do it at all.

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

It has been two years since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, and Iranians are still subject to violence and terror. In the first half of this year, 249 people were executed by the Iranian regime. Last year, Iran committed 74 per cent of all recorded executions in the world. Iranians are being subjected to what human rights groups are describing accurately as 'sham trials' for crimes such as peacefully protesting or improperly wearing a hijab as a woman—the same crime that Jina was accused of. These trials are too often resulting in people being subject to arbitrary sentences of arbitrary length or, indeed, death sentences. Too many innocent Iranians are losing their lives, are being subject to oppression and suppression, and are simply being silenced. Too many families have experienced pain and loss under this regime.

While the Australian Greens welcome the sanctions put in place by the government, there is still so much more that can, and must, be done. The Iranian people are calling for the Australian government to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. I am in awe of the courage that has been, and continues to be, demonstrated by women's rights activists who are right now conducting a hunger strike and protesting in prison these disgraceful policies. We are in solidarity with these brave protesters. Women, life, freedom. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a terrorist organisation.

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two years ago, Mahsa Amini was killed in the custody of the Iranian state. She had been arrested by the morality police for not complying with Iran's strict and sexually based dress code. At the time, her death appeared to mark a watershed in Iranian political life. Young people, elderly people and people from the cities as well as from rural and non-urban areas took to the streets demanding that the state at last respect their dignity and their fundamental human rights. Chants of 'Women, life, freedom' echoed through the streets of Tehran and other major cities in Iran. Mothers protested alongside their daughters, and farmers alongside university students. It was a period of immense optimism, and the courage shown by those who took to the streets to defy the heavy hand of the state remains an admirable study in courage.

But I'm sad to say that two years later—two years to the day after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody—that small candle of hope that burned for a time in Iran has been extinguished. We have seen at least 551 people killed during those protests. We've seen thousands arrested. We've seen at least 10 that we know of executed in connection with the protests. And the heavy hand of the Islamic Republic of Iran has come down mercilessly on those who simply sought to protect their own freedoms. The morality police are back on the streets enforcing the dress code. The future of Iran's people remains as hopeless as ever. Iran continues to support terrorism and to foment instability in the region. Iran continues to funnel weapons to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis in Yemen—even to Russia, in its war with Ukraine. And Iran continues to execute people at a simply barbaric rate. According to international reports, there have been 345 executions in Iran already this year. There were 853 people executed in 2023. This is industrial-scale use of the death penalty. Iran is one of the most flagrant abusers of the right to life—one of the most excessive users of the death penalty.

It's indicative of a state that is bereft of any moral legitimacy or moral authority. It is a state for whom the instilling of societal fear is the only way for the regime to hold on to power, because the promises of the Islamic revolution have simply not been met. Iran's people are frustrated. They are denied economic opportunity. They continue to be discriminated against on the basis of their gender, their ethnicity or their religion. And they continue to be denied basic and fundamental freedoms and human rights.

There are chilling reports, even now, of family members of those who were killed or executed or punished during the protests now themselves being harassed, arrested and punished by the regime to perpetuate intergenerational trauma, if you like, on people who were only standing up for their basic civil liberties—Mashallah Karami, for instance, the father of Mohammad Karami. Mohammad was executed in January 2023, aged 22, for his involvement in the protests. His father, Mashallah, who has simply campaigned on the behalf of his son's memory, was sentenced to six years in jail in May, and then, in August, sentenced to another term of nine years.

This, frankly, is a rogue regime. Iran cares nothing for the welfare of its people. It cares nothing for its neighbourhood. It is a repressive regime that uses the tools of terror, fear and intimidation to keep control of its society.

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Sharma. The time for the discussion has expired.