In her weekly article, Gülseren Onanç, the Founding Chair of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, reflects on the need to maintain solidarity with the protests in Iran and argues that we need to embrace a feminist foreign policy to tackle the crises we are facing today.
Gülseren Onanç
The protests that began following the killing of Mahsa Amini are continuing. Iranian women have been fighting fearlessly against the oppressive Iranian regime for five weeks. Asra Panahi, a 16-year-old high school student, died after being beaten by security guards for refusing to sing the pro-regime anthem praising Supreme Leader Khamenei. According to the Iranian Human Rights Agency, it is estimated that 222 people have been killed in the protests so far.
Women are leading the protests in Iran. Daniel Edelstein, professor of political science at Stanford University, said, “the role that Iranian women play in protests is now unprecedented.” New Yorker columnist Robin Wright argued, “protests in Iran may be the first in history where women are both the spark and the engine of a counter-revolution attempt. “
#WomanLifeFreedom
In her article, Robin Wright has demonstrated how courageous women and girls in Iran are leading one of the most important counter-revolutions in modern history. As she stated: “Women are still defying and dying in an uprising that is historically unique for being centered on women’s freedom.” The protesters, whose average age is fifteen, in the streets and in schools, with their tweets and fearless videos, are taking on a theocratic order. Faced with an existential threat, women and girls have found their own voice and are using it to the fullest. As Wright states even if they don’t win, #WomanLifeFreedom is a “turning point” for Iran.”
The protests are Iran are also on our agenda in Turkey. I met with Iranian female students at an event at Istanbul Bilgi University earlier this week. Their minds and hearts of are in Iran. They are looking for ways to support the resistance in their country. They have expectations from women in Turkey. They demand that we give more support to the resistance in Iran, they invite us to stand in solidarity with our Iranian sisters. The solidarity demand of young Iranian women is a very just demand. Demonstrations were held in different provinces of Turkey and they are still ongoing. Solidarity is rising through social media. But Iranian young women are demanding that we do more. For example, it is necessary to talk about what the European Union and the United Nations can do against the Iranian regime, which kills its own citizens. It is especially important to discuss the role of the county’s neighbours, such as Turkey.
Embargo Policies Have Failed
We have seen from years of practice that embargoes will not regress the Iranian regime. The economic sanctions that the European Union says it will impose against Iran seem to be no different from previous ones. These embargoes hit poor people who are already very weak economically. Those who are oppressed under the economic crisis and young people who cannot see their future also play an important role in the exacerbation of street protests.
We Need Feminist Foreign Policy
This leads me to the argument that we need feminist foreign policy more than ever. Feminist foreign policy is a foreign policy approach that was shaped by the social democratic government in Sweden under the leadership of its foreign minister, Margot Wallström who served from 2014 to 2019.Based on a liberal feminist perspective, Swedish feminist foreign policy focuses on four principles: the rights of girls and women, the allocation of resources to gender equality, the equal representation of all genders, and the incorporation of research and data that feminist policy is founded on.
Sweden’s approach to a feminist foreign policy has inspired other countries as well. Canada declared its feminist perspective in 2017. Sweden has also encouraged various initiatives and alliances in this area, some political parties, including the Women’s Equality Party in the UK, and the German Green Party. Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s new foreign minister, emphasized that she will pursue a “feminist foreign policy”.
Sweden’s new right-wing government said farewell to the country’s feminist foreign policy
But just when we needed it most, Sweden’s new right-wing government announced that it had disabled its own country’s signature “feminist foreign policy” approach. This reminds me of Turkey’s withdrawal from the the Istanbul Convention. I believe that against the rise of the right, the European Union should act on to defend its values.
Reaction from Journalists to the Censorship Law: We will do our job until the end
In order to restrict freedom of thought and expression in Turkey, the government put into practice what it called the “disinformation law”, which is known to the public as the “law of censorship” There is a great public reaction against the passing of this law or what is named the Censorship Act. Journalist Ezgi Yıldız said, “With this law, Turkey will take the last place in the press freedom index. We are not afraid when we do this profession. When they tell us to “shut up” we will talk more and write more. This law in no way worries me. I will do my job to the fullest, and in no way will I leave my country. I will do my job until the end.”
Women demonstrators fighting on the streets for their freedom in Iran, women journalists resisting the censorship law in Turkey, and women in Sweden resisting the move away from a feminist foreign policy are saying the same thing in different geographies:
Woman, life, freedom!