US netizens erupt in anger as State Dept grants visa to Iran’s VP; ‘This shows weak attitude of Biden administration’
Iran’s Vice President Ensiyeh Khazali on Sunday arrived in New York City to attend the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will begin on Monday and last for 12 days.
During the session, Khazali will push for the expulsion of Israel from CSW, citing its atrocities against innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
In December 2022, the UN Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution to boycott Iran from the CSW for a four-year term till 2026 in the wake of protests and calls for justice for Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died under the custody of morality police in Tehran. She was accused of not covering her head properly with scarf. Amini fell into a coma after police reportedly beaten her on the way to custody. She lost her life three days later.
Meanwhile, US netizens expressed discontent with the State Department for granting visa to Khazali and urged the Biden administration to “grow a backbone and start isolating Tehran diplomatically.”
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Jason Brodsky, who is a policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), called the State Department decision “awful”.
“Why did @StateDept grant a visa to #Iran’s regime’s vice president for women & family affairs to attend @UN_CSW in NY after Tehran was ousted & a UN fact finding mission found that IRI committed crimes against humanity? Awful decision. #MahsaAmini,” he tweeted.
Slamming Khazali for supporting child marriage and Iranian regime’s suppression of its people, Brodsky said the US “could have made a statement by denying her a visa”.
Other netizens were quick to react to comment on Brodsky’s post. One X user wrote: “This is a joke. It is time to close@UN and open a comic movie theatre”, while another added “this just sums up the weak attitude of the Biden Admin”.
Blasting the Iranian VP, a third user commented: “This is the same woman who ordered for journalist@IsobelYeung, to be detained upon an interview.
“Awful decision @StateDept kick this terrorist out now!” a fourth user wrote.
What’s all on Ensiyeh Khazali’s agenda?
After landing in the United States, Khazali told reporters that she will speak about the situation of women in Iran as well as in Israel, particularly about their conditions in Gaza. She said women in Gaza are facing bloodshed and starvation due to blockade and war crimes.
“God willing we will demand the expulsion of Israel from the Commission on the Status of Women,” she added, as per Mehr News Agency.
According to the UN Women website, the CSW68 is the UN’s biggest annual gathering on the empowerment of women and gender equality.
The session will be conducted on the theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”