NGO for Human Rights of Muslim Women Blocked from UN Accreditation by Iran

Iran has blocked an NGO critical of the treatment of Muslim women from acquiring official UN accreditation, effectively denying the organization a voice inside the UN. The UK-based NGO, called "Women Living under Muslim Laws – International Solidarity Network," has also been critical of Iran's record of human rights, particularly the detention of civil society workers in Iran.

Iran is one of 19 Member States in the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations which makes recommendations on granting UN status. Members also include countries that have little to no respect for freedom of speech or association and that continually hinder the operation of independent NGOs, such as China, Russia, Sudan, and Venezuela. Their standard operating procedure is to defer applications session after session with inappropriate, specious or repetitive questions and demands of the applicant NGO. After years of deferrals, Western states find that if they bring applications to a vote, they are simply outvoted in Committee.

During the NGO Committee meeting on February 2, 2017, Iran derailed the application of Women Living under Muslim Laws achieving a deferral by seeking additional financial and activity information. Women Living under Muslim Laws first applied for consultative status in 2014 and has had its application deferred six times previously.