Nigeria votes to retain Iran in UN rights body despite violation of women’s rights
December 15,2022
Nigeria has joined seven other nations to vote in favour of retaining Iran on the United Nations Women Rights Commission despite the country’s violations of women rights.
The United States had called for Iran’s ouster after Tehran took action to forcibly put an end to demonstrations that broke out in response to the disputed death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian young woman, who died in custody.
A total of 29 nations on Wednesday voted in support of Iran’s expulsion, eight nations including Nigeria, Russia and China voted against it while 16 nations abstained from voting.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, had said Iran’s continued membership was an “ugly stain” on the integrity of the commission. She asserted the U.N. known “for promoting gender equality and empowering women” cannot do “its important work if it’s being undermined from within.”
The resolution to “remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term” was approved on Wednesday by the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) comprising 54 member states.
Ms Amini, detained by Iran’s morality police over allegations of violating the Islamic nation’s strict dress codes, died mysteriously after spending a few days in custody.
Ms Amini’s death sparked global outrage as both local and international human rights groups excoriated Tehran. Women in Iran trooped out to the streets to protest the death of one of their own.
Some Nigerian citizens have taken to social media to celebrate Iran’s expulsion from the commission while distancing themselves from their government that voted to keep Iran on the commission in spite of the oppression of women.
