New Zealand Suspends Human Rights Dialogue with Iran: Foreign Minister

Wellington: New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced her country is suspending its bilateral Human Rights Dialogue with Iran.
 
"This decision sends a strong signal that bilateral approaches on human rights are no longer tenable with Iran, when they are denying basic human rights and violently suppressing protests of those who stand up to them," Mahuta said in a media release on Monday.
 
New Zealand and Iran established the Human Rights Dialogue in 2018 with the hope of advancing human rights issues and concerns. 

The first session was held in 2021 and the next one was due to take place later this year.
 
"However recent events continue to show Iran’s position on human rights is deteriorating, not improving," she stated.
 
"Aotearoa New Zealand continues to be appalled by the use of force by Iranian authorities in response to peaceful demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini last month," she added.
 
According to her, violence against women, girls or any other members of Iranian society to prevent their exercise of universal human rights is unacceptable and must end. 
 
"We have added our name to a joint statement by the women foreign ministers of twelve nations to condemn the violent actions that led to the death of Mahsa Amini and to reiterate calls, such as those by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for a prompt, impartial and independent investigation into the use of force by authorities and repression of demonstrations," she explained.
 
"New Zealand has repeatedly called on Iran to show restraint and to guarantee and protect the rights of its people. We have in the past sought to raise our concerns over human rights in Iran bilaterally.  But for this to be effective and credible it must be accompanied by a willingness to listen and to change," she added.
 

 
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