The session president Alain Richard (RDPI with a majority in March) indicated that with this debate, the Senate wished "to recall the memory of Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16 in Iran, after having been arrested for a lock of hair which protruded from her veil, and that of Hadis Najafi, executed by the police because she demanded her freedom as a woman and an Iranian".

"Let's make this slogan + Women, life, freedom + ours", called the president of the delegation for Women's Rights, Annick Billon (centrist), for whom "the international community (...) must send a strong and unanimous signal to support this historical challenge".

Unusually in the Senate, environmental senator Mélanie Vogel concluded her speech by playing an excerpt from "Baraye" by Shervin Hajipour, the movement's unofficial anthem.

What is happening in Iran today "is not a revolt, it is a revolution, a revolution for democracy, for justice, against religious tyranny, a revolution for women, for life and for freedom," she said.

The Senate hemicycle also resounded with calls to act.

“What is France doing?” Asked Paris Senator Esther Benbassa, regretting that the debate is being held in a small committee.

"We cannot remain without reaction and keep ourselves away from what is more than a simple jolt of history, even if our means of action (...) are very limited", added Joëlle Garriaud -Maylam (LR).

"We launched work last week with our European partners to sanction the perpetrators of the repression, it will be a question of freezing the assets and prohibiting the right to travel to individuals identified as responsible for the violence", recalled Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, adding that she hoped “it will be done within 8 to 10 days”.

© 2022 AFP