An independent Australian senator is criticized for attending an event where she claimed that women in Iran “have a voice“ and accused the West of spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
Independent senator Fatima Payman of Western Australia defended her appearance at an event, which organizers described as “challenging the narrative of Iranian women in the West.“
In a broadcast from the Iranian state-owned, English-language media outlet Press TV, Payman is quoted as saying Westerners are not exposed to the "incredible place that Iran is, allowing for women to participate in the workforce, to ensure that they have a voice, and their voices are heard, they're involved in the democratic process.”
Payman, who previously left the ruling Labor Party last July 2024 after vowing to continue crossing the floor to support Palestinian statehood, said there were "realities that we're not privy to living here and listening to the propaganda we receive from very single-sided organizations with a specific agenda.”
Her statement, which was made on February 22nd at Western Sydney University (WSU), quickly garnered criticism from groups such as the Australian United Solidarity for Iran (AUSIRAN), an organization supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.
In a letter titled No Cover for Islamic Republic's Regime Gender Apartheid, AUSIRAN said it was "outraged" by the statements made by Payman and New South Wales Minister for Women Jodie Harrison, who sent a video message that was played at the event.
"Their decision to attend an event in Sydney — which flagrantly supported the Islamic Republic regime's misrepresentation of women's rights and its propaganda — is a profound act of hypocrisy," the letter read.
"For decades, the regime has silenced Iranian people's voices, a cruelty most recently revealed during the uprising following the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini, a woman whose life was unjustly taken by police violence," it added.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian expert in Middle Eastern political science who was detained in Iran for two years over espionage charges, also criticized Payman’s statements.
"Oh, my God @SenatorPayman, girl, what are you doing!? What is this nonsense you are saying!?" Moore-Gilbert posted on X (formerly known as Twitter)
"Iran has no 'democratic process,' least of all one which women are allowed to participate in. You should know this — I saw you sitting in the Senate inquiry into Iran's human rights abuses just 2 years ago,” she also said.
"Why agree to be interviewed by Press TV, the English language propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic known for broadcasting false confession videos and forced interviews with prisoners before they are executed?" she added.
Jodie Harrison apologized for sending a video message to the event, saying that her decision was “ill-considered and I should not have provided a video message for the event.“
"I have heard the concerns raised and sincerely apologize for my participation in this event, for the message it sent which is incongruent with the view of myself and of the New South Wales Government, and the distress I know it has caused for many. I do not share the views expressed by the panelists at this event," she added.
However, Payman defended her decision to attend the event, which she described as an "Iranian women's empowerment event to celebrate International Women's Day.”
She said she had "heard firsthand their experiences in Iran and the rights and opportunities afforded to them.”
"The aim of this organization was to correct the narrative they felt was single-sided by certain organizations. To which I advised they should create spaces to educate and share their version of events with politicians and representatives," Payman said. "As a leader, it's important for me to keep an open mind and listen to both sides."
Payman became controversial in September last year during a speech in which she used slang words and colloquialisms aimed at Generation Z and Generation Alpha. This has been characterized as an example of brain rot.
