The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today voted for “immediate” expulsion Iran by the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) due to the crackdown on protests that have rocked the country since September.

ECOSOC, which oversees the CSJ, decided by 29 votes in favor (16 abstentions and 8 votes against) to exclude Tehran from this body for the remainder of 2026 following the adoption of a resolution submitted by the United States, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980 – and which were supported by an international request within two months.

The adopted text “expresses grave concern about the actions of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran since September 2022, which has continuously undermined and increasingly suppressed human rights, especially of women and girls, in particular the right to freedom of expression and opinion, often with excessive use of violence” .

For these reasons, ECOSOC “decides to immediately suspend the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the UN Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of the year until 2026,” according to a UN resolution.

In an initial reaction, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed satisfaction with the “important” resolution given “the way Iran continues to treat peaceful protesters in its country, most notably the women who started these demonstrations.”

Iran became the scene of protests after the death of a young Iranian Kurd, Mahshi Amini, on September 16 after she was arrested in Tehran by the vice police, who accused her of violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Since mid-September, thousands of people have been arrested and Iranian justice has carried out two executions.

Iran’s top security agency announced on December 3 that more than 200 people had been killed, including security personnel.

In early November, US Vice President Kamala Harris launched an initiative to withdraw Iran from CSW. The appeal, supported by former presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and an international petition have collected more than 165,000 signatures.

US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said last week that Tehran “should not” participate in this body “committed to advancing gender equality and women’s emancipation”, calling for its “removal”.

Iranian diplomacy accused Washington of pushing Iran to leave “with the help of some European countries”, which is an “illegal” step and has a “political purpose”.

Source: RES-IPE