Iran says EU statement on its human rights situation ‘selective, unacceptable’
Iran has dismissed as ‘unacceptable, baseless and selective’ a joint statement by European countries on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic, saying it is in fundamental contrast with approaches to promote the issue globally.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the European Union’s move to present the joint statement in the Human Rights Council as unacceptable,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday.
He added that any abuse of human rights mechanism and interference in Iran’s internal affairs is by no means acceptable.
“This is not a new episode that some European countries remain indifferent and silent vis-à-vis the biggest [cases] of human rights violation [committed] by the very states and their allies.”
“They are racing among themselves to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and [other] dictators in the region to kill the defenseless Yemeni people,” the Iranian official added.
Khatibzadeh emphasized that these European states assume that the suppression of protesters, the killing of Blacks, massacre of minorities, particularly Muslims, and the torture of prisoners as well as exerting pressure on refugees inside the EU borders is tantamount to the implementation of rules but at the same time, they claim that the “enforcement of judicial actions in accordance with criminal law by a fair court in other countries is violation of human rights.”
Such a double standard indicates lack of the Europeans’ sincerity to support human rights and their use of this concept for political purposes, he said.
“The development and promotion of human rights at national, regional and international levels within the framework of religious commitments and adherence to the constitution and regional regulations as well as international treaties are among enduring priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran and it is committed to observing them in practice.”
Khatibzadeh recommended that some European countries, which are pursuing their own objectives in the name of the European Union, put high on their agenda ways to promote human rights among them and their allies.
Reuters on Friday quoted three sources as saying that France’s Foreign Ministry this week summoned Iran’s envoy over the country’s human rights record, signaling concern about what Paris calls “serious and constant violations.”
Separately, Germany on the same day issued a critical statement on Iran to the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of 47 countries.
“The French authorities regularly express their concerns about the serious and constant violations of human rights in Iran,” France’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said.
“These concerns are shared by many partners, including Germany and the United Kingdom.”
The three European countries strive to save the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Iran despite vicious efforts by Washington to raise pressure on Tehran and kill the accord.
Khatibzadeh on Wednesday denounced a recent report by Britain’s Guardian newspaper about Iran’s treatment of duly convicted prisoners in the country, saying such “commissioned” reports are an attempt to portray the human rights situation inside the Islamic Republic in a negative light.
“The purpose of these commissioned reports, which are meant to paint a black picture of the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially at the current juncture, is crystal clear,” he said.
Earlier, The Guradian reported that France, Germany and the UK were summoning Iranian envoys in a protest against Iran’s “detention of dual nationals and its treatment of political prisoners.”
