UN council ousts Iran from UN commission backing women

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Economic and Social Council has voted to immediately oust Iran from the U.N.’s premiere global body fighting for gender equality. The U.S.-sponsored resolution cites Iran’s systematic violation of the rights of women and girls. It was sparked by Iran’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful protesters, who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. The vote to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term was 29-8 with 16 abstentions in the 54-member council. Russia opposed Iran’s ouster and indicated it will seek a U.N. legal opinion on whether the council’s action was legal.