Ibrahim Raisi's Deputy: 'Concern for Western Women'; We Have a Duty to 'Raise Awareness'

Ansieh Khazali, the Deputy for Women's Affairs under Ibrahim Raisi, stated that it is our duty to raise awareness about the violation of women's rights in the West. However, during her tenure, she has refrained from commenting on the issues faced by Iranian women, particularly their accounts of abuse in detention centers. Speaking at a conference titled 'International Human Rights from the Perspective of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution' on Tuesday, July 12, she expressed concern over 'the violation of women's rights in the West, especially in the United States,' and said: 'Raising awareness about the problems of women in the West, particularly in America, is our duty and that of those who wish to respond to the blood of martyrs who fought valiantly and sacrificed their lives in the struggle against America.' According to the Mehr News Agency, Khazali claimed that 'on average, 1,770 women are threatened and sexually assaulted daily in the U.S., and many women serving in the military in the West are subjected to sexual assault.' While she is concerned about 'women's rights' in Western countries and provides 'statistics' on assaults against women in America, on June 7 of this year, several women's rights activists revealed that judicial authorities in the Islamic Republic forced them to undress completely for photographs during their detention, an act that made them feel 'assaulted and fearful.' Nasibe Shamsai, one of the women from the 'Girls of Revolution Street,' Shaparak Shajari Zadeh, another activist from the same group, Zeynab Zaman, a feminist activist, and Mojgan Keshavarz, a women's rights activist, are among those who have shared their accounts of inhumane treatment and 'quasi-assault' by government agents. Sepideh Gholian, a political prisoner, also emphasized in a letter sent from prison on April 22 that the agents did not spare any humiliation or abuse during her detention, and she was 'severely beaten' and 'dragged,' with a man in the hallway of Ward 209 of Evin Prison threatening her with 'rape' and saying, 'We will tie your hands and feet and settle the score with you.' Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, stated on March 20 at a Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that the Islamic Republic may have committed 'crimes against humanity' due to killings, imprisonments, enforced disappearances, torture, harassment, and sexual assault against protesters by security forces. The British newspaper The Guardian published a detailed report in February 2023, stating that it had interviewed 11 Iranian women and men who participated in protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, who claimed they were subjected to sexual assault, sexual violence, beatings, and torture during their detention by Islamic Republic agents. Some of them told The Guardian that they were assaulted in police vans or on the street, while others were assaulted during their detention at police stations or prisons. Amnesty International has also published multiple reports confirming allegations of assault, violence, and 'severe torture' of detainees. Shaghayegh Nourouzi: The civil struggle of men and women against compulsory hijab will continue until the overthrow of the regime. Neda Rostami: Families must support and back women in their fields of interest. Tonya Valioqli: Restrictions on women by families and the lack of sports facilities are factors contributing to movement poverty. Neda Rostami: The Islamic Republic does not want the level of awareness and knowledge of women to increase. Detailed interview with John Bolton with Voice of America; from the impact of sanctions to Zarif's claims about Trump. Mona Bakhtiari states that Nahid Shirpish has been beaten in prison.