Advocacy Group Urges Withdrawal of US Visa to Iranian Vice President

A United States-based advocacy group has called for the revocation of a visa issued to Ensieh Khazali, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs. 

Khazali arrived in New York on March 10 to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The advocacy group, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), said in a statement that it sent a formal letter to the US Deputy Secretary of State requesting Khazali's visa be revoked. 

The group cited "systematic oppression of women and girls" in Iran as the reason for their opposition. 

They further argued that the US government is not legally bound to grant visas to foreign officials for participation in UN meetings.

In a speech at the UN, she reportedly claimed that Iranian women have made "significant progress" since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

However, this assertion has been challenged by critics who point to restrictions on clothing choices mandated by the hijab law. 

Additionally, Khazali has reportedly faced criticism for defending child marriage.

The US Deputy Secretary of State's office has not yet commented on the request to revoke Khazali's visa.

In 2022, Iran was expelled from a UN body tasked with empowering women amid a bloody state crackdown on a women-led protest movement. The protest became known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

The 54-member UN Economic and Social Council, which oversees the Commission on the Status of Women, adopted a US-drafted resolution on December 14, 2022, to remove Iran from the commission "with immediate effect."

Human rights activists say the Islamic Republic's role in this body was a farce, considering that its security forces have killed, beaten, and incarcerated thousands of women and other Iranians peacefully calling for more freedoms and gender equality.