The Parliament of Lithuania condemns the disproportionate use of force by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its attempt to suppress peaceful protests in the country

Press release, 29 September 2022 

Today the Parliament of Lithuania (Seimas) has adopted a Resolution, condemning the disproportionate use of force by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the killing of protesters and other acts violating the civil and political rights of its people in an attempt to suppress peaceful protests in the country.

According to Ieva Pakarklytė, Member of the Seimas, who presented the Resolution, the protests have begun and escalated since 16 September 2022, when a young woman Mahsa Amini was detained by Iran’s morality police on account of her alleged breach of rules for wearing a hijab. “She died when detained. After the incident, thousands of protesters went out on the streets in more than 80 cities in Iran and peaceful protests were already underway in other countries. The Iranian Government has responded to these protests with human rights violations: blocking the internet and other communication channels, repressing the protests in a truly violent manner, even firing live ammunition at protesters, instead of engaging in a dialogue with its citizens,” the member of the Seimas said at the sitting.

The Resolution states that the response of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the protests has already led to the death of at least 76 and the detention of hundreds of people and that these numbers are growing with each day of protests.

The Member of the Seimas said that the Iranian people had been under the grip of a theocratic regime since the 1979 revolution. “This regime has been trampling on democratic principles and human rights for more than four decades. Iranian women, whose freedom of choice is severely restricted in many areas of their lives, are particularly affected by human rights violations,” one of the initiators of the Resolution said.

By its Resolution the Seimas calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately end the communications restrictions and the disproportionate use of force directed against peaceful protesters, to conduct a thorough and objective investigation into the circumstances of Mahsa Amini’s death and to bring to justice all those found guilty of her death.

The Parliament of Lithuania urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect its international obligations and to comply with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guaranteeing to citizens the right to freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly.

In the Resolution, the Seimas advocates for the Iranian women’s right to freedom of expression unrestricted by discriminatory laws and the legal equality between women and men and supports all Iranian people who are peacefully expressing their dissatisfaction with the policies of discrimination and violence pursued by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Seimas encourages the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to consider all possible actions by which the Republic of Lithuania, in cooperation with other states, can contribute to resolving the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and ensure that the systematic violations of human rights committed in that country are not forgotten.

At the same time, the Seimas calls on the parliaments of all democracies to join in condemning the human rights violations committed by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in expressing their support for peaceful protesters in that country who are demanding the guarantee of their civil and political rights.

As many as 108 members of the Seimas voted in favour of the Resolution (draft No. XIVP-2058) and one member voted against it.

Rimas Rudaitis, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]