UN HR Rapporteur Silent about Assassination of Greatest Anti-Terror Commander

“The assassination of the greatest defender of the rights of the nations of the region and the most powerful commander in the fight against terrorism, Major General Qassem Soleimani, which, according to the report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions to the 45th session of the Human Rights Council, violated the main principles of subject areas of the international law, namely the law of resort to force, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, was deliberately ignored,” Baqeri Kani wrote in a detailed letter to clarify the ample ambiguities of the recent report of Rehman on what he calls “Human Rights Situation in Iran”.

“The deliberate disregard of the Rapporteur, on the biggest human rights issue in Iran and the region in 2020, leaves no room for defending its impartiality and fairness,” Baqeri Kani added.

“This crime had such an impact on the Iranian nation that tens of millions of Iranians across the country came to streets within a week and mourned for the greatest savior of the people of the region, including Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims and followers of other religions including Christians,” he went on to say.

“The absence of this greatest human rights phenomenon of Iran in the Special Rapporteur’s report leaves no doubt in lack of comprehensiveness and selectivity of the report, in favor of the violators of the rights of the Iranian nation,” the official stated.

^{Ali Baqeri Kani}

In relevant remarks in late December, Baqeri Kani announced that the country has identified and is prosecuting 48 individuals for masterminding and conducting the 2020 terror attack on General Soleimani.

“48 suspects have been identified in connection with the case of martyred General Qassem Soleimani and necessary measures have been adopted to prosecute them,” Baqeri said.

He added that Iran has asked for information and documents with regard to this attack from all the countries which have been one way or another connected to this terrorist crime.

“The latest country was Germany; and we have received reports and information that the Americans’ base (Ramstein) in Germany has been involved in exchange of information between the US drones used in the assassination of martyr Soleimani,” Baqeri said.

Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3, 2020.

The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.

Five Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport.

On January 8 and after the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.

Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army’s central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.

The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of “Martyr Soleimani” reprisal operation.

Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.

The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.

Meantime, Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of the martyred General Soleimani.

“36 individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem, including the political and military officials of the US and other governments, have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the Interpol,” Alqasi Mehr said at the time.

He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding that former US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.