US seeks Iran's removal from UN women’s commission, Kamala Harris says

Iran’s presence 'discredits the integrity' of UN Commission on the Status of Women, US vice president says

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event last month. AP

The US will try to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women over Tehran's denial of women's rights and its brutal crackdown on protests, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday.

Iran is “unfit” to serve on the commission, Ms Harris said, and Tehran's “very presence discredits” the integrity of the body's membership and the work to advance its mandate.

“The United States believes that no nation that systematically abuses the rights of women and girls should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights,” she said.

Protests broke out in Iran in September following the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by police for wearing her headscarf improperly. Tehran's response has been brutal, with rights groups saying authorities have killed hundreds of people and arrested thousands more.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women and its members are charged with promoting women’s rights and addressing “urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights”.

Ms Harris became the most senior US official to call on the UN to remove Iran from the commission. The UN Security Council is due to hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the protests.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Parliament became the first legislature call for Iran’s removal from the top women’s rights body and on Monday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her country supports such an action.

At the UN on Wednesday, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi called on "governments of the free world" to withdraw their ambassadors from Tehran.

She urged western powers, especially the US, to refrain from "subscribing [to] any type of agreements" that will allow for the survival of the regime and for the UN to investigate human rights abuses in Iran.

"I remind you that such a commission was previously formed in the case of Myanmar and we hope that [a] similar decision will be made for Iran," Ms Ebadi said.

Iran's ambassador to the UN Saeed Iravani told reporters that his country values human life and dignity, and that police had shown restraint in handling the country’s biggest popular protest movement since 2009.

He also accused the US of hypocrisy and of interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state.

Protests in Iran continue — in pictures

Iranians protest in Tehran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police in September. AP Photo

Protests have intensified despite a vicious government crackdown that has left as many as 200 people dead, although estimates of the toll by rights groups vary. AP Photo

At least eight members of the security forces have also been killed or wounded during the unrest and there are signs that violent resistance could be intensifying. AP Photo

A fire burns at the office of the governor of Mahabad, in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. AFP

Protesters gather in the a courtyard of Chitgar complex in western Tehran. AFP

Iranian protesters continue to defy a deadly crackdown by security forces. AFP

A woman cuts her hair at the grave site of Nika Shahkarami in the city of Khorramabad, during a reported memorial held to mark 40 days since the death of the 16-year-old. AFP

A woman not wearing a headscarf stands on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town, to mark 40 days since her death in police custody. AFP

Iranian riot police prepare to confront protesters the capital, Tehran. AFP

Iranian protesters surge forward amid clashes with riot police in Tehran. AFP

A crowd blocks an intersection during a protest to mark 40 days since Amini's death in custody. AP Photo

Iranian police arrive to disperse a protest in Tehran. AP Photo

Protesters chant at a vigil for Amini at the Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Reuters

Students at Sharif University of Technology attend a protest. AP Photo

Police outside Sharif University during a student protest. AP Photo

Students at the university protest over the death of Amini, who was in 'morality police' custody for allegedly breaking strict rules on head coverings for women. AP Photo

The students' banner says: 'No to mandatory hijab'. AP Photo