Federal President Alexander van der Bellen has condemned the oppression of women in Iran and Afghanistan. At the “Raising Voices” event on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which took place in the Hofburg on Wednesday, he spoke of the “moral obligation” to assist these women. According to the Federal President, they should be able to flee and be admitted to Europe.
Human rights are currently under massive attack – not only during Russia’s offensive war in Ukraine, but also since the radical Islamist Taliban came to power in Afghanistan and Iran, where 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini has been in police custody since the death.
“Your fight for women’s rights is our fight for women’s rights,” said Doris Schmidauer, Van der Bellen’s wife, in solidarity with the women.
VdB denounces forced marriages of women in Afghanistan
For example, the Federal President denounced the forced marriages of women and girls in Afghanistan and the loss of their access to education, as well as the violence against those campaigning for democracy in Iran.
“Women in Afghanistan are being driven out of public space”
Journalist Natalie Amiri, who worked as a correspondent in Iran, spoke in her keynote about poison gas attacks on dozens of girls’ schools in Iran, but added that the situation in Afghanistan, where women are being pushed out of public spaces, is even worse. There, for example, divorces would be reversed by the Taliban and women would have to return to violent men.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
