Joint statement marking two Years since death of Mahsa Zhina Amini

September 16, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, today issued the following joint statement on the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Zhina Amini:

“Two years ago today, Mahsa Zhina Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, was killed while in police custody in Iran. Her death sparked a nationwide protest movement, led by women and girls, which was unwavering in its demand for a better future.

“We stand with women and girls in Iran and with all Iranian human rights defenders across all segments of society in their ongoing daily fight for human rights and fundamental freedoms. At least 500 people died and over 20,000 were detained in the Iranian security forces’ brutal crackdown on displays of dissent in 2022 and 2023. But the global Woman, Life, Freedom movement remains united.

“The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, has stated that many of the human rights violations perpetrated against protesters amount to crimes against humanity. The Iranian government has yet to address these allegations, nor has it cooperated with this internationally recognized mandate.

“In daily life, women and girls continue to face severe repression in Iran.  The renewed “Noor” hijab crackdown, which enforces Iran’s law requiring women to wear headscarves, has spurred a fresh round of harassment and violence. The Iranian government has bolstered its surveillance infrastructure to arrest, detain and, in some cases, torture women and girls for their peaceful activism. According to human rights organizations, Iran is one of the foremost executioners of women globally.

“We call on the new Iranian administration to fulfill its pledge to ease pressure on civil society in Iran and to end the use of force to enforce the hijab requirement. The recent surge in executions, which have largely occurred without fair trials, has been shocking, and we urge the Iranian government to cease its human rights violations now. We, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, will continue to act in lockstep to hold the Iranian government accountable and use all relevant national legal authorities to promote accountability for Iranian human rights violators, including through sanctions and visa restrictions.”