World's female foreign ministers to meet on Iran protests, Canada says

The world's female foreign ministers will discuss ongoing protests in Iran during a virtual meeting this week hosted by Canada, Ottawa's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said in a statement on Wednesday.

Joly and her counterparts will meet on Thursday amid unrest ignited by 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini's death last month while being held by Tehran's morality police, triggering one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

"My counterparts and I will gather to send a clear message: the Iranian regime must end all forms of violence and persecution against the Iranian people, including their brutal aggressions against women in particular," Joly said.

"Canada will continue to stand by the courageous Iranians who are fighting for their human rights and standing up for their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Women's rights are human rights," she said.

During the virtual meeting, the officials would hear from women of Iranian heritage and discuss the state of women's and human rights in Iran, Joly's office said, adding that it would give them an opportunity to coordinate efforts and discuss on "ways to increase their collective support for the Iranian people."

Canada had joined other nations, including the United States, in imposing sanctions on Iran.

While the current unrest does not appear close to toppling the Iranian government, the situation has raised international concerns as talks on Iran's nuclear capabilities appear at a stalemate and Tehran has moved to support Russia's invasion in Ukraine in defiance of the West.

Iran has accused countries who have expressed support for the protests of meddling in its internal affairs.

Elnaz Rekabi, 33, wore only a headband during the Asian Championships in South Korea on Sunday, in what was seen by some as a gesture of solidarity with month-long protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini 👇https://t.co/EcXVW9lflj

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 19, 2022

The focus on Iranian women continued on Wednesday, as climber Elnaz Rekabi, who caused controversy by competing in an international contest without a veil, returned to the Islamic Republic.

Amini, who hailed from Iran's Kurdistan region, died on 16 September after being detained three days earlier by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab 'incorrectly'.

Amini's Kurdish name can be spelt "Zhina" or "Jina".

Iran's religious leaders have tried to portray the unrest as part of a breakaway uprising by the Kurdish minority threatening the nation's unity, rather than a protest against clerical rule.

(Reuters)