Sinn Fein spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence John Brady TD raised the issue of the ongoing protests in Iran with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney in the Dáil today. 

Expressing his sympathy to the family and friends of Masha Amini, the young woman who died in police custody following her arrest by the Iranian Morality Police because she was not wearing a Hijab. 

Condemning the killing and the violent suppression of the protests, Brady called on the Minister to call in the Iranian ambassador. He also called for an independent investigation into the death of Masha Amini.

The Wicklow TD said:

“I want to express my sympathy to the family and friends of Masha Amini, who tragically died in police custody in Iran, following her arrest for the so-called offence of not wearing a hijab.

“It is outrageous that a woman can be persecuted because a male-dominated regime has decreed that women must be forced to wear a particular head dress to protect their honour.

“I also want to condemn the heavy-handed manner in which the authorities has responded to the protests in Iran. There are reports of journalists being targeted and of dozens of deaths around the country as the government attempts to suppress the protests before they can effect change.

“Today in the Dáil I called for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, to call in the Iranian ambassador to register the protest of the Irish government, on behalf of the Irish people, at the death of Masha Amini and the brutal suppression of the protests that followed her death.

“The response of the authorities has been completely disproportionate, and I call upon the Iranian authorities to cease their crackdown of protestors.

“I have also called for an independent inquiry to determine what caused the death of Masha. And to ensure that those responsible are held to account.”