A panel discussion focused on the systematic discrimination against women in Iran and Afghanistan is to be held in Wellington, featuring Iranian and Afghan human rights and international law experts from around the world.

Legal experts, advocates and human rights organisations are calling for institutionalised discrimination against women to be formally recognised as gender apartheid and as a crime under international law.

The panellists will speak about the importance of formal recognition of gender apartheid, give background as to the situation of women and girls in Iran and Afghanistan and outline a way forward towards greater equality and basic rights for all. They’ll also speak about what advocates and allies around the world can do to help.

The event planned for September 17 at the Parliament Banquet Hall is to be hosted by the Iranian Solidarity Group New Zealand.

It is critical that those who are able to use their voice, speak out and shine a spotlight on the persecution and second-class status of women in Iran and Afghanistan, Iranian Solidarity Group spokeswoman Hanna Habibi says.

“Women and gender minorities under the regimes in Iran and Afghanistan face severe oppression and institutionalised, systematic persecution. The paralysing mistreatment they endure is embedded in the system and is inescapable. Daily life has become a suffocating struggle, compelling many brave women to resist despite the grave dangers it exposes them to,” Hanna says.

Those attending the event in person can register for free by September 9, while anyone who cannot make the event in person is invited to join online with no registration necessary.

Notes:

• This event has been planned to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the killing of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Jina (Mahsa) Amini, who died in police custody in Iran for allegedly not adhering to the regime’s mandatory rules on headscarves for women and clothing restrictions. Her death sparked a global movement under the banner of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom,’ calling for an end to the theocratic regime in Iran.

Panellists:

• Raihana Attaee – Former Judge at the Primary Court on Elimination of Violence Against Women in Afghanistan - Auckland
• Azadah Raz Mohammad – Afghan Jurist and Advisor for the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council - Melbourne
• Gissou Nia – International Human Rights Lawyer and on the legal team for the End Gender Apartheid campaign - Los Angeles
• Dr Forough Amin – Founder of Iranian Women in New Zealand - Auckland

Facilitated by:

• Dr Hanna Habibi – Iranian Kurdish Human Rights Activist and a Founding Member of the Iranian Solidarity Group New Zealand

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