Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will not attend the Raisina Dialogue in India that is scheduled to be held on March 3 and 4 after criticising a promotional video for the event which showed footage of Iranian women cutting their hair as a symbol of protest against the Islamic Republic's strict hijab rules.
According to a report by Reuters, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a televised news conference, "The foreign minister's attendance was on the agenda ... but we witnessed an unprofessional action by the organisers in the form of a clip." The annual geopolitical meeting is hosted by the Indian Foreign Ministry and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Leading global policy makers including ministers, as well as representatives from private sector, academia and media will be present at the meeting.
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"Iran and India are committed to non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Kanaani said, regarding the video.
The death of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran's "moral police" custody in September last year has triggered one of Iran's biggest shows of dissent. She was arrested for flouting the country’s dress code for women as she apparently was wearing an ‘improper head covering’. Following her death, women have led protests across Iran in which they have defied the Iranian regime by cutting their hair publicly, walking with uncovered heads, and burning their hijabs.
India had earlier abstained from voting on a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) council on forming a fact-finding committee to prove the various human rights violations that have happened during Iran protests.
