BREAKING: A month after we submitted a draft resolution ⤵️ to expel the Islamic Republic of Iran from the UN Women's Rights Commission, the U.S. has requested a special meeting to make it happen. There's no precedent or procedure for this—it's truly extraordinary. Never give up!
It was our organization UN Watch which first exposed the obscene election of the Islamic Republic of Iran to @UN_CSW last year. The rest of the world—member states as well as the giant, pro-NIAC NGOs like @hrw—they were silent. We were not silent. /2 unwatch.org/un-elects-iran…
⚡️ Our exposé on #Iran's election to the UN Women's Rights Commission sparked a global firestorm. Lawmakers challenged their governments in the Dutch, Canadian, British & Norwegian parliaments, with questions asked in France, Germany & Switzerland. /3 unwatch.org/firestorm-afte…
A key moment at the United Nations came in April. Actress & human rights activist @NazaninBoniadi took the floor: “How can the Islamic Republic of Iran—a regime that subjugates women—be elected to the UN body for gender equality & empowerment of women?”
With new world attention in wake of the mass #MahsaAmini protests, we decided to draft a resolution for @UNECOSOC to expel #Iran from @UN_CSW. Unlike @UN_HRC, there is no procedure for this. So we simply showed the UN and the world how it could be done: unwatch.org/resolution-to-… /5
A day later, it was raised by @GuitaVOA@StateDept: “There are calls for Iran to be expelled from @UN_CSW. A NGO in Switzerland that advises ECOSOC (UN Watch) has drawn up a draft resolution & presented it to @SecBlinken. Any thoughts?”
This was a dramatic shift in US position—for the better. Contrast with April 29, 2021 when the same spokesman was asked repeatedly by @APDiploWriter if 🇺🇸 condemned #Iran's election to @UN_CSW. His response then was ignominious evasion. Text: unwatch.org/us-balks-at-co… /7
Video:
Two weeks later, our bid to expel the Islamic Republic Iran from the UN Women's Rights Commission got a huge boost by the advocacy of @VitalVoices & @AlyseNelson, including this New York Times ad featuring female world leaders calling to expel the IRI. /8
The Iranian people will never forget that at least 4 EU or Western democracies secretly voted to elect Ayatollah Khamenei to the U.N. Women's Rights Commission. But in the coming mid-December meeting, now is their chance to atone by voting to expel him. /9 unwatch.org/at-least-4-eu-…
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BREAKING: The wife of jailed Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza will receive UN Watch's human rights award today and read a message sent by her husband from prison, at the ceremony before an audience of UN diplomats and human rights activists. unwatch.org/russian-dissid…
“Both Vladimir and I are deeply touched by UN Watch’s decision to bestow on him this high distinction,” said Evgenia Kara-Murza, the Advocacy Coordinator at the Free Russia Foundation. /2
After receiving the award, Ms. Kara-Murza will be meeting in Geneva with United Nations human rights officials, and with the ambassadors from major democracies, to spotlight the plight of her husband and other political prisoners in Russia. /3
BREAKING: For the first time in history the United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on #Iran. We are demanding the creation of an international Commission of Inquiry, and a formal call to expel the Islamic Republic from the UN’s top women’s rights body.
First, I commend German Foreign Minister @abaerbock for leading more than 40 countries to initiate this international assembly, which will take place here in Geneva on November 24th. /2
Second, I want to thank everyone worldwide who spoke out & took action to make this happen, including @NazaninAJ & Ahmad Batebi @radiojibi for coming here 13 years ago to be the first to demand a special session; @nazaninboniadi & @gissounia for their vital activism at the UN; /3
On this day in 1975: “The United States rises to declare before the General Assembly of the United Nations, and before the world, that it does not acknowledge, it will not abide by, it will never acquiesce in this infamous act.”
Ambassador Patrick Moynihan on “Zionism is Racism”
“A great evil has been loosed upon the world. The abomination of antisemitism has been given the appearance of international sanction, as this year’s Nobel Peace Laureate Andrei Sakharov observed in Moscow just a few days ago.” /2
“The General Assembly today grants symbolic amnesty—and more—to the murderers of the 6 million European Jews. Evil enough in itself, but more ominous by far is the realization that now presses upon us—the realization that if there were no GA, this could never have happened.” /3
BREAKING: After powerful remarks by @NazaninBoniadi, the U.S. announces before the United Nations that it will lead the effort to finally expel the Islamic Republic of Iran from the U.N. Women’s Rights Commission. #MahsaAmini
UN Watch was the first to expose the obscene election of the Iranian regime in April 2021: unwatch.org/un-elects-iran…
We mobilized a global outcry with lawmakers demanding answers and challenging their foreign ministries in the Dutch, Canadian British and Norwegian parliaments, with questions also asked in France, Germany and Switzerland. unwatch.org/firestorm-afte…
.@VP on expelling #Iran regime from @UN_CSW: “The United States believes that no nation that systematically abuses the rights of women and girls should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights.” /1
“The UN Commission on the Status of Women and its members are charged with “promoting women’s rights” and addressing “urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.” /2
“Iran has demonstrated through its denial of women’s rights and brutal crackdown on its own people that it is unfit to serve on this Commission; Iran’s very presence discredits the integrity of its membership and the work to advance its mandate.” /3
⚡️ Good News: If our resolution to expel the Islamic Regime of Iran from the UN Women's Rights Commission is introduced today, we estimate it will pass by an overwhelming majority — with approximately 28 voting in favor, 11 against, and 15 abstaining. unwatch.org/un-resolution-…
All we need now is for one of these countries to have the courage to introduce our resolution: unwatch.org/resolution-to-…
We estimate 28 Yes votes: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Portugal, South Korea, UK, USA