Item 5, ID with the human rights council advisory committee
Sudwind would like to express its support for the recommendations of the Advisory Committee in the Final report on sport and the Olympic ideal to promote human rights for all and to strengthen universal respect for them, especially on adopting specific legislation on prohibition of discrimination on all grounds including sex, gender and sexual orientation. Women and human rights defenders are deeply concerned regarding the current situation of sportswomen under the Islamic Republic of Iran, being prohibited and limited in their right to exercise sports. It is with great concern we observe the Islamic Republic of Iran’s longstanding prohibitions and limitations on women’s rights to participate in international sports events outside of Iran. Niloofar Ardalan, captain of the national Iranian women’s Futsal team, is one of the victims of this injustice. She was reportedly prohibited from leaving the country as her husband exercised his legal right to not grant her the permission. Niloofar Ardalan was subsequently prohibited to attend the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. It is with great regret we note Iran’s discriminatory legislation, requiring married women being granted permission by their spouses in order to leave the country. Furthermore, Iranian sportswomen are continuously under server restrictions with regards to sport dress code due to the strict Islamic penal code of Iran. Women are consequently banned from the exercise of many sports in public such as bicycling. Female sport events and games are too often banned from being reported in media where even female journalists are prohibited from attending and reporting these events. It is however with great admiration we note that despite the discriminatory legislations in Iran, Iranian sportswomen are actively fighting and raising their voices striving for equality. It is of outmost importance to highlight continues gender inequality and discrimination against women in sports under the legislation of the Islamic republic of Iran. Honorable advisory committee, it is with the outmost respect that Sudwind poses the following questions. What is the role of the council with regards to the inequality and discrimination that sportswomen face everyday under the Islamic republic of Iran? and furthermore, does it lie within the scope of the states of this council to call upon the government of the Islamic republic of Iran to grant women their core human right to self-determination and abolish all legislation requiring women to be granted permission by their spouse in order to leave the country?
