Rebekah Armstrong: Iran’s cry for ‘women, life and freedom’ must also be New Zealand’s call

A woman protests against the death of Mahsa Amini, outside Iran's general consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo / AP

OPINION

It was my last week in Iran after 18 months working there for the United Nations.

I was eating food with my friends in a mall in Tehran when an official woman came up to me, angrily told me off and handed me a card. I had been warned by Iran’s morality police.

The next time I was seen with bad hijab, I would be arrested.

My friends hissed at me with urgency to correct my head scarf as I didn’t understand the gravity of what had happened. I was shocked but also amused by the interaction. I was leaving the country a few days later and knew I was safe.

I still have the warning card they gave me as a reminder of the time I lived in Iran and had to comply with compulsory hijab or be arrested.

Kurdish women hold portraits of Iranian Mahsa Amini, during a protest against her death in Iran, at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut. Photo / Bilal Hussein, AP

This memento I kept is now more precious than ever as it symbolises one of the greatest fights for human rights Iran has ever seen. Iran’s rallying cry for women, life and freedom started off as a protest about hijab and women’s rights, but it is now about ending systematic oppression.

Iranian people are protesting to reclaim their human rights, dignity and basic freedoms.

In 2022, human rights reports show that women are treated as “second-class citizens to men”. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation in Iran recently stated that reform was urgently needed to address women’s rights, especially as 16,000 girls between the age of 10-14 were married in a six-month period.

On March 17 this year, the New Zealand Government urged Iran to repeal laws that violate the rights of women and girls and end the death penalty for crimes committed by children. This is why the Government’s silence and inaction regarding the situation in Iran right now has been difficult to understand.

A hundred and twenty-nine years ago, New Zealand took its first step in achieving equality between men and women when women were given the right to vote. As a leader of women’s rights, human rights and freedom, New Zealand should be championing Iran’s wāhine toa who are now fighting this same fight.

Other governments are openly condemning the violence and atrocities taking place, examining trade relationships, sanctioning specific leaders and people associated with crimes, expelling Iranian diplomats and supporting calls for the establishment of an independent accountability mechanism.

At the time of writing, the Government’s response to Iran has been very weak, with little action. A stronger human rights stance is needed.

Protection and respect for human rights should be the cornerstone of New Zealand’s trade agreements and the underpinning values and standards diplomatic relations are governed by.

Rebekah Armstrong. Photo / Supplied

Iranian people are risking their lives, choosing to protest even though they know they may be arrested and killed and though we are removed from the situation in New Zealand, we shouldn’t be apathetically letting this take place.

As Desmond Tutu said, “if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”. In a country that silences freedom of association, turns off the internet so people can’t share information, where impunity is rife and the true number of deaths and arrests from recent protests is unknown, it is fair to say in its sixth week, Iranian people need outside support now.

This year, 2022, will always be known as the year Iranian people fought for human rights and freedom. Whether they achieve this will depend on how countries like New Zealand act. It’s time now for collective action from the international community.

It’s time now for New Zealand to live up to the values we are most proud of, continue our fight for human rights and help Iran achieve its call for women, life and freedom.

Rebekah Armstrong worked for the United Nations in Iran from 2013 to 2015 and is a human rights consultant.