mr president i would like to thank mr belder for his excellent report
just one day after celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of international women's day i would like to make a special point about the situation of women in iran and please allow me to dedicate this speech not only to sakineh ashtiani and zahra bahrami but to all women put in jail and those who are missing because of the current iranian repression
the eu has to take into account the aspirations for democratic change of the people of iran and the unacceptable situation that iranian women have to face
we know that there is discrimination and even political and social repression affecting women in this country and we should echo these unacceptable facts when considering our approach towards iran
while the situation is currently deteriorating women's rights activists in the country have continued taking the lead in opposing the current repression and denial of civil liberties and human rights
women's rights should not be an optional negotiation point and i hope madam vice-president high representative that the eu will uphold this violence without compromising them
