Islamic Iran raps West definition of HR

An Iranian official has criticized the Western definition of human rights, saying the Islamic Republic follows a strategy of active and wise interaction with other countries on issues relating to human rights.

According to Press TV, Secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Mohammad-Javad Larijani made the remarks in a televised interview on Wednesday.
He said Western countries do not have the right to impose their own definition of human rights on other countries and take it upon themselves to lead other societies.
He added “The universality of human rights does not mean that a group can instill their demands into others but that the instances and models of human rights must be defined according to the tastes, cultures and beliefs adopted by every particular society.”
He said that the issue of human rights provided a framework for interaction between different societies and noted that Iran interacted with other members of the UN while adhering to Islamic beliefs.
Larijani also criticized the report of Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, as biased and brimful of libel against the Islamic Republic.
In a report in October, Shaheed accused Iran of various cases of human rights violations.
Following its release, Iran’s High Council for Human Rights criticized the report as a “propagandist text against the Islamic Republic” and said it lacked liability and integrity.