Iran Expelled from UN Commission on the Status of Women

Iran was expelled from the UN Commission on the Status of Women Wednesday, December 14. The vote was held as Iran faces mass protests over its treatment of women following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iran's morality police in September.

29 countries voted in favor of expelling Iran at the vote at the UN's Economic and Social Council. Eight countries voted against the measure, and 16 abstained. The countries which voted to keep Iran on the commission are Bolivia, China, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Russia and Zimbabwe.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan spoke at a special meeting in the UN's Economic and Social Council before the vote.

Ambassador Erdan compared the Ayatollah regime in Iran to the Nazi regime, "This resolution must receive the support of all of us, and whoever doesn't support it is complicit in the oppression and murder of women...The regime in Iran represents the embodiment of evil, just as Hitler’s Nazi regime represented the embodiment of evil."

Ambassador Erdan added, "Seeing as the international community refused to take action against the suffering of the Iranian people, the Iranian people decided to take their futures into their own hands. We Israelis salute their bravery and view ourselves as true allies of the Iranian people. Yet what have we, the family of nations, done to support their cause? Where is our courage? Have we taken swift and severe action? Have we all made it clear that if the regime continues to execute protesters the international community will act against it? No, no, and no. It’s truly a disgrace. "

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said following the vote: "Today we came together at the United Nations and stood with Iranian women, Iranian girls, and the Iranian people. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for letting us help Iranian women in their fight against their authoritarian regime, and we hope that they will soon be completely autonomous and able to freely express themselves, without constantly fearing for their lives.”