Mr. Speaker, I need to draw members' attention to the critical situation in Iran, particularly regarding its domestic repression.
Maryam Akbari is a woman languishing in jail despite finishing her 15-year prison term for seeking justice for her siblings, which is truly an alarming atrocity. Recently, Varisheh Moradi, a Kurdish woman, was sentenced to death in another sham trial in Tehran's revolutionary court. Women prisoners in Evin prison chanted protest slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “Our lives may go, our heads may fall, but freedom will never be lost”, demonstrating their resilience in the face of oppression. The number of executions in Iran since President Pezeshkian came to power in August has exceeded 500, setting a record even by this regime's norms.
I stand, and I believe we stand, in solidarity with female political prisoners urging the international community to demand an independent investigation and advocate for their release.