Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr. Chair,
Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned at the continued and escalating human rights violations occurring in Iran.
New Zealand and Iran established a bilateral human rights dialogue in 2018 and held the first session in 2021.
While that bilateral dialogue was running, New Zealand consistently supported this annual resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, but did not co-sponsor it.
Developments in Iran in recent months, particularly for women and girls, have left us with no option but to re-evaluate this approach.
We have determined that bilateral approaches on human rights with Iran are no longer tenable, and have suspended that bilateral dialogue indefinitely. We have now co-sponsored this resolution again.
We support the recommendations in the resolution and the important work of the Special Rapporteur.
We urge Iran to expedite access to Iran for the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
There must be accountability for the ongoing, systemic repression of women, girls and the LGBTQI+ community, as well as of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, including the Baha’i community.
New Zealand is particularly concerned that an Iranian court recently issued a death penalty sentence to a protestor.
Aotearoa New Zealand holds a long-standing opposition to the death penalty in all cases, under all circumstances, and is committed to the abolition of the death penalty worldwide - as a matter of urgency.
Thank you.