May 18, 2023
The egregious acts of violence and terror unfolding in Iran over the last eight months have horrified many Australians.
Women and children have been beaten, shot, sexually abused and killed as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) – the armed force charged with defending Iran’s revolutionary regime – escalates its ruthless campaign of suppression of protesters and political dissidents that threaten its power.
Invoking the spirit of AUKUS and our enduring partnership in the fight against evil in both the First and Second World Wars, 22 Republican and Democratic members of the US Congress this week wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging Australia to take a stand against the egregious human rights abuses being conducted by the IRGC.
They are calling on Australia, along with the United Kingdom, Canada and India, to join the US in designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation to send a clear message to Iran we will not tolerate acts of terrorism.
Since January, the Coalition has argued that the Albanese Government should do just that. Right now, we have the opportunity to stand with our allies and to send an unequivocal message that Australia does not tolerate this horrendous campaign of violent terror conducted by a desperate regime.
While Iran may be a long way from Australia geographically, the violence there hits our communities close to home and demands a comprehensive response from the Albanese Government.
Australia’s large Iranian diaspora means many people in our communities have family members who are directly or indirectly impacted by the violence overseas – like the family of Majid Kazemi, who has been sentenced to death by the Iranian Government and is facing imminent execution based on what he says was a confession obtained under torture.
The IRGC operates around the world to spread the ideology of the Iranian regime and terrorise its critics.
In pursuit of these goals the IRGC has conducted a ruthless campaign of murders, assassinations, kidnappings and terror attacks.
Australia, and critics of the regime who live here, are not immune from the IRGC’s reach. Evidence recently provided to the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media shed light on some of the activity being conducted on Australian soil to silence and intimidate Iranian Australians.
The Committee heard disturbing stories of Australians who have spoken out against the Iranian regime being threatened and abused, while, in some instances, the IRGC detained and threatened their family members in Iran. The IRGC’s global operations are not limited to Australia.
The letter from the members of the US Congress cites planned attacks against synagogues in Germany, kidnapping and assassination plots in the UK, and a foiled assassination in Georgia last year among examples of IRGC linked activity.
That’s why an inquiry by the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee recommended the Australian Government should take the necessary steps to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation – just as our international partners are doing.
An overwhelming number of the submissions to the Inquiry called for such a listing. The Australian Government’s position is that the IRGC cannot be listed as a terror organisation under current legislation as it is an “organ of a nation state”, in this instance the Iranian Government.
This effectively means terrorist conduct is regarded differently by the Australian Government depending on whether or not it is conducted by an organisation linked to a nation state.
It simply does not make sense that it is unlawful to fund or associate with terror groups such as Hezbollah or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, yet the same laws do not apply to the same activities conducted by members of the IRGC, which is known to fund, support and coordinate with similar groups.
This loophole needs to be closed, which is why the Coalition has offered the Government its support for any legislative amendments needed to immediately rectify this issue.
Inaction is not an option.
Victims of the IRGC, Australia’s Iranian diaspora and our allies are relying on us to get this right.
Senator James Paterson is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security. Senator Claire Chandler is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs.
