Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
33. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of occasions on which he contacted the Iranian Ambassador subsequent to the death of a person (details supplied) in relation to expressing his views, and that of the Government, in relation to the subsequent handling of the protest movement; the dates on which the contact was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35927/23]
View answerSince the protests, sparked by the tragic death in Iranian police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, on 16 September, we have repeatedly raised our concerns directly with the Iranian government, including with the Foreign Minister, who I spoke with most recently in May.
Our Chargé d'Affaires in Tehran regularly raises human rights concerns directly with Iranian officials, as does our Ambassador to Iran (based in Ankara) during her visits to Tehran. Senior officials from my Department again raised these issues during political consultations in Tehran in May.
I spoke with the Iranian Ambassador to Ireland directly by phone on 20 January 2023. In addition, senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs have met with the Ambassador on a number of occasions, most recently on 12th July 2023.
I commend the courage of the Iranian women and men who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and extend my condolences to the loved ones of all those who have died in the protests since September of last year. Ireland raises human rights concerns with Iran at every suitable opportunity.
In 2022, Ireland again co-sponsored the annual Canadian-led resolution on Iran at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution addresses a broad range of human rights issues.
Ireland also co-sponsored the convening of a special session of the Human Rights Council on 24 November 2022, which voted to create a fact-finding mission to investigate and report on the human rights situation in Iran. Ireland also supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran, Mr Javaid Rehman.
We consistently call on the Iranian authorities to cooperate fully with the mandates of the fact-finding mission and the UN Special Rapporteur, including allowing them to visit Iran and conduct relevant meetings, most recently on 5 July in our national statement to the Human Rights Council. Along with over 30 other countries we also joined a statement led by Costa Rica on the matter at the HRC on 5 July.
The executions carried out by the Iranian authorities and sentencing of protestors using the death penalty is unjustifiable. Ireland calls on Iran to immediately impose a moratorium on the death penalty, consider alternative sentencing, and revoke death sentences issued for involvement in protests.
Ireland has supported the addition of a number of individuals and entities linked to human rights violations to the EU’s Iran human rights sanctions regime. Restrictive measures now apply to over 223 individuals and more than 37 entities in Iran. These include asset freezes, EU travel bans, and a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression.
