Australian University Warned Over Event Attended by Sanctioned Iranian State Broadcaster

Western Sydney University has received a warning after hosting an event attended by Iran’s state-run TV station.

A man holds up an Iranian flag during a vigil in support of protestors in Iran and to mark 40 days since the death in Iran of Masha Amini, in Lafayette Square near the White House on Oct. 26, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

An Australian university has received a warning for hosting an event attended by a sanctioned news outlet.

In February, Western Sydney University hosted an International Women’s Day event organised by the Benevolent Iranian Women’s Association—an event described by the Iranian state-run Tehran Times as “pivotal.”

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV was present at the event, despite being sanctioned in Australia in 2023 for broadcasting forced confessions of Iranians and dual nationals detained and tried for political reasons.

It remains unclear how Press TV was able to attend and broadcast from the event despite being sanctioned by the Australian government.

Following the February conference, the Australian Sanctions Office issued a warning to Western Sydney University. The university has since distanced itself from the event.

“This was not a Western Sydney University event,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“Organisers hired a university venue, informing us it was for an International Women’s Day event.

“The university was not told that Press TV would be attending.”

The university said it has fully cooperated with the Australian Sanctions Office and taken measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring.

Advertised as “challenging the narrative of Iranian women in the west”, the event included speeches from Imam Abdul Qudoos Al-Azhari, who declared Islam the world leader in women’s rights.

An additional speaker, Kysar Trad, told the event that any criticism of women’s experiences in Iran was “imperial colonialism.”

Former Labor Senator Fatima Payman, now an independent for Western Australia, speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 4, 2024. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Senator Fatima Payman also attended the event, but later apologised for describing Iran as an “incredible” place for women, despite the Australian government’s acknowledgement of the hardships faced by women and girls in Iran.

Press TV was sanctioned by the Australian government as a symbolic gesture on the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian woman who was detained for violating Iran’s strict hijab laws.

A number of others were sanctioned at the same time, including police spokesperson for Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces Saeed Montazer Al-Mahdi, who Foreign Minister Penny Wong has accused of making “intimidating and threatening statements towards Iranian women and girls for purportedly violating Iran’s mandatory veiling laws.”

Iran’s Cyber Police were also included in the same sanctions announcement.

“Australia stands in solidarity with the people of Iran, especially the courageous women and girls who continue to demonstrate immense bravery in the face of ongoing repression,” Minister Wong said during the announcement.