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News > Iran

Iranian Women Achieve Major Victory With New Citizenship Law

  • Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai speaks during a meeting in Tehran.

    Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai speaks during a meeting in Tehran. | Photo: IRNA

Published 3 October 2019
Opinion

In a region where women are mostly prohibited from passing their citizenship to their children, Iranian women have scored a major victory to further their cause for equal rights. 

Iran officially passed a new law on Wednesday that granted the women of the Persian Gulf nation the right to pass their citizenship to their children that are born with foreign fathers.

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Considered a major victory for Iranian women, the long-awaited bill was signed into law Wednesday by the country's Guardian Council, making it official after months of debate. 

The law, which was originally passed by an overwhelming majority in parliament on May 19th, had to be ratified by the Guardian Council before it could be implemented in the country's bill of rights. 

However, in June, the Guardian Council rejected the proposed legislation on security grounds, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing changes that would allow background checks on foreign fathers.

Then, on July 15th, the Iranian parliament amended the bill to condition granting citizenship to children who have been found to not possess any security issues. 

Following a discussion at the Guardian Council, the senior clerics and judges declared their support for the bill, which was later stated by council spokesperson Ali Kadkhodaee. 

In a region where women are mostly prohibited from passing their citizenship to their children, Iranian women have scored a major victory to further their cause for equal rights. 

The measure is also a major victory for women throughout the Middle East as most countries do not grant women the right to pass their citizenship to their children with foreign fathers.

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