Western Australian senator Fatima Payman has distanced herself from comments made to Iranian state-owned news outlet Press TV, in which she described Iran as an "incredible place" for women and labelling Western coverage as "propaganda".
In a statement on Thursday, Payman said she had "made comments that reflected what women had shared with me, not my own personal opinion".
"I had no knowledge of Press TV and their political affiliations."
Payman made the comments to Press TV during an event at Western Sydney University on Saturday, hosted by a group called the Benevolent Iranian Women's Association.
Payman said the event's invitation "highlighted themes of freedom, inclusivity, and the empowerment of Iranian women".
Payman said she recognised the Iranian community was "not homogenous" and said "individuals have different lived experiences".
"However, I recognise that my comments did not reflect the realities of women who have suffered violence, brutality and severe human rights abuses."
"My intention was never to downplay or minimise their pain. If my words caused hurt, I sincerely apologise."
Payman said she "consistently condemned injustices and human rights abuses", including the deaths of Mahsa Amini and Zomi Frankcom.
Amini was a Kurdish Iranian woman , after Iran's so-called morality police arrested her for allegedly not wearing the hijab in line with government standards.
Payman accused of foreign interference
Siamak Ghahreman, president of the Australian Iranian Community Organisation, has formally requested an investigation to determine whether Payman and her remarks were influenced by foreign entities, "potentially guiding her to distort factual narratives about Iran's human rights situation".
"Recent remarks made by Senator Payman regarding the status of women in Iran have raised serious concerns within the Australian community, particularly among those who are deeply aware of the realities faced by Iranian women," Ghahreman wrote in a letter sent to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
"Her statements appear to align more with the rhetoric of the Iranian regime rather than the lived experiences of those who continue to fight for their basic freedoms. Such remarks not only distort the truth but also risk spreading misinformation and division within our multicultural society."
Payman has denied claims of foreign interference, telling SBS News: "I reject this false allegation."
The Department of Home Affairs describes foreign interference as "when other countries try to secretly interfere with decisions and other matters in Australia".
"They might be dishonest, use unfair power or hide their actions," the department's website says.
The department says foreign interference includes activity taken by or together with foreign governments that: involves a threat to an individual, or is hidden, dishonest, threatening or corrupting and intended to influence an individual’s political rights or undermine Australia's national interests.
Iranian community 'shocked' by Payman's comments
In a broadcast from Press TV on Saturday, Payman was quoted as saying Westerners are not exposed to the "incredible place that Iran is, allowing for women to participate in the workforce, to ensure that they have a voice, and their voices are heard, they're involved in the democratic process".
She said these were "realities that we're not privy to living here and listening to the propaganda we receive from very single-sided organisations with a specific agenda".
Speaking to SBS News, Ghahreman said he and other members of the Australian-Iranian community were "shocked" by her comments.
"She [Payman] knew about and she knows about the brutality of the Iranian government against women," he said on Thursday.
"She was one of the supporters of the Woman, Life, Freedom [movement] two years ago. She has attended a few of our rallies, and now she has dramatically changed her position, and that is what puzzles us."
Ghahreman also accused Payman of concealing facts and distorting evidence.
"We have a lot of Iranian women living in Australia who have been brutally treated in Iran or have lost female loved ones in Iran, or they've been tortured, they've been investigated," he said.
"Now she's trying to conceal the facts and distort all the evidence. That's something which is concerning to us."
He said he was not accusing Payman of foreign interference, but wanted it investigated: "We're not accusing anybody of anything. We just want [it] to be investigated."
With additional reporting by Naveen Razik.
