UN Expert Says Israel-Hamas War Emboldens Iran 'Repression'

Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
TT
20

UN Expert Says Israel-Hamas War Emboldens Iran 'Repression'

Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran said Tuesday that the Israel-Hamas war has emboldened “repression” inside the country.

Javaid Rehman, a human rights expert given a mandate from the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said that Iran was responding to a loss of credibility after mass protests set off by the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian detained by police for failing to obey the strict public dress code.

“They were already planning further repression,” Rehman said at a Washington roundtable hosted by the National Union for Democracy in Iran.

“In terms of the current crisis, they feel even more emboldened because they believe that they have deflected internal criticism, and the internal repression, through becoming or claiming to become the cheerleaders... of the Palestinian movement,” he said.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly issued warnings to Israel, with Yemen’s Houthis claiming to have fired drones or ballistic missiles at the country in three separate operations, and Hezbollah firing missiles into Israel’s north.

The recent death of 17-year-old Armita Garawand has revived memories for some Iranians of Amini’s death.

Garawand was checked into the hospital after fainting on the Tehran metro on October 1 in what activists have described as an attack by police officers over the strict dress code in Iran.

This has been strongly denied by Iranian officials who insist she collapsed as a result of low blood pressure.

Iranian authorities have arrested a prominent lawyer and human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh as she attended the funeral of Garawand, her husband Reza Khandan told AFP.

IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency said Sotoudeh "had been arrested and handed over to judicial authorities" for "not wearing a headscarf" and "disturbing the society's mental security."

"Victory is not easy, but it is certain," imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner and women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, said in a message smuggled out of her Tehran cell.

In the message, read out in French by her daughter, Kiana Rahmani, and posted on the official Nobel website, the 51-year-old activist and journalist expressed "sincere gratitude" to the Norwegian Nobel committee.

It was not disclosed how the message was smuggled out.

Mohammadi once again criticized the requirement for women in Iran to wear a head scarf and denounced Iranian authorities.

"The compulsory hijab is a means of control and repression imposed on society and on which the continuation and survival of this authoritarian religious regime depends," she declared through her 17-year-old daughter, who has taken refuge in France along with her family.

She condemned "a regime that has institutionalized deprivation and poverty in society for 45 years," adding that it was "built on lies, deception, cunning, and intimidation".

"We, the people of Iran, demand democracy, freedom, human rights, and equality, and the Islamic Republic is the main obstacle in the way of realizing these national demands," Mohammadi said in her message.

"We are struggling to transition away from this religious authoritarian regime through solidarity and drawing on the power of a non-violent and unstoppable process in order to revive the honor and pride of Iran and human dignity and prestige for its people," she continued in the message from Evin prison.

Arrested 13 times, sentenced five times to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, and imprisoned again since 2021, Mohammadi is one of the women spearheading the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising in Iran.

Mohammadi was awarded the Peace Prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”



South Korea’s New President Lee Vows to Revive Democracy from ‘Near Demise’

South Korean new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung leave after attending the presidential inauguration at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)
South Korean new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung leave after attending the presidential inauguration at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

South Korea’s New President Lee Vows to Revive Democracy from ‘Near Demise’

South Korean new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung leave after attending the presidential inauguration at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)
South Korean new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung leave after attending the presidential inauguration at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae-myung pledged on Wednesday to raise the country from the near destruction caused by a martial law attempt and revive an economy besieged by global protectionism that is threatening its very existence.

Lee's decisive victory in Tuesday's snap election stands to usher in a sea change in Asia's fourth-largest economy, after backlash against a botched attempt at military rule brought down Yoon Suk Yeol just three years into his troubled presidency.

He faces what could be the most daunting set of challenges for a South Korean leader in nearly three decades, ranging from healing a country deeply scarred by the martial law attempt to tackling unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.

"A Lee Jae-myung government will be a pragmatic pro-market government," he said after taking the oath of office at parliament, a location where six months ago he jumped over the perimeter wall to enter the chamber and avoid martial law troops barricading it to vote down the decree.

He promised deregulation to spur innovation and growth in business and pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea while maintaining a strong security alliance with the United States and bringing balance to diplomacy.

"It is better to win without fighting than to win in a fight, and peace with no need to fight is the best security," he said on the country's often violent ties with rival North Korea.

Lee was officially confirmed earlier as president by the National Election Commission and immediately assumed the powers of the presidency and commander in chief, speaking with the top military leader to receive a report on defense posture.

With all the ballots counted, Lee won 49.42% of the nearly 35 million votes cast while conservative rival Kim Moon-soo took 41.15% in the polls that brought the highest turnout for a presidential election since 1997, official data showed.

Lee has said he would address urgent economic challenges facing the country on the first day in office with a focus on the cost-of-living concerns affecting middle and low-income families and the struggles of small business owners.

He also faces a deadline set by the White House on negotiating import duties that Washington has blamed for a large trade imbalance between the countries.

South Korean stocks rallied on Wednesday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI rising more than 2% to its highest in 10 months, with the financial sector leading the gain on expectations of market reform by Lee. Renewable energy stocks also rose. Lee has pledged a shift to a greener energy mix.

'DEAL WITH TRUMP'

The government under a caretaker acting president had made little progress in trying to assuage crushing tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump that would hit some of the country's major industries, including autos and steel.

"President Lee will find himself with little to no time to spare before tackling the most important task of his early presidency: reaching a deal with Trump," the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Lee on his election win and said the countries "share an ironclad commitment" to their alliance grounded on shared values, and deep economic ties.

He also said that the countries were "modernizing the Alliance to meet the demands of today’s strategic environment and address new economic challenges."

The White House said the election of Lee was "free and fair" but the United States remained concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world, according to a White House official.

Lee has expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, in particular singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan strait.

Still, Lee has pledged to continue Yoon's engagement with Japan and said the alliance with the United States is the backbone of South Korea's global diplomacy.