EU lawmakers urge Iran to let Mahsa Amini family collect award

STRASBOURG, France: European Parliament members on Monday urged Iran to allow the family of Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody sparked global protests, to travel to France to collect the EU´s top rights prize.

Lawmakers said authorities in Tehran confiscated the passports of Amini´s mother, father and brother and stopped them boarding a flight to Paris. 

“This restriction is aimed at silencing Jina Mahsa Amini´s family, preventing them from speaking out about the Islamic Republic´s outrageous repression of women´s rights, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Iran,” 116 MEPs wrote in a letter.

“We cannot tolerate this, the truth must not be silenced and the face of this incredible liberation movement should be shown to Europe and the world.” The MEPs called on Iran “to retract this decision and to allow Jina Mahsa Amini´s mother, father and brother to travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday to receive the 2023 Sakharov Prize”.