Iran Denounces UN Anti-Tehran Rights Claims as Unjust, Unwarranted

Permanent representative of Iran to the United Nations Office in Geneva Esmayeel Baghayee Hamaneh condemned a UN Human Rights Council resolution to renew the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic, saying it was a politically-motivated move by a few countries abusing UN mechanisms.

News ID: 444012

Date: 24 March 2019 - 11:12

RNA - "The appointment of a special rapporteur on Iran is an unjust and unwarranted scheme initiated by certain states in pursuit of their politically-biased attitude against our nation," Baghayee Hamaneh said.

"It is no accident that those who have a long record of violating human rights and humanitarian law, including by wreaking havoc across our region by flooding it with weapons and by actively supporting terrorism and violent extremism, are among the main backers of this scheme," he added.

The Iranian diplomat further warned of the adverse consequences of the draft resolution L.15 and its ensuing mandate, saying they "could only contribute to bizarre clichés against Iran."

"Rest assured such insincere moves could barely contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights," Baghayee Hamaneh added.

He said it is disappointing that Sweden and a few other countries fixate on their "unconstructive and counterproductive" approach against Iran.

The Iranian diplomat emphasized that human rights cries of the draft resolution's sponsors lack credit, good faith and moral ground as they remain indifferent to "systematic atrocities perpetrated by their allies in our region on a daily basis."

They keep silent about "inhumane and unlawful" sanctions imposed by the United States, which is a violator of human rights on a large scale, he said.

"(The issue of) human rights is a common cause. The abuse of the human rights mechanisms against Iran compromises the sense of solidarity as an integral part of this lofty cause," Baghayee Hamaneh said.

However, he emphasized that Iranian officials would not be distracted from serving the nation through such "adversarial maneuvers."

He said Iran has a resolve to maintain its "constant progress in protection and promotion of human rights" and would also continue its engagement with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other competent UN human rights mechanisms as well as with responsible states that value interaction and dialog.

He urges Sweden to "discontinue its harmful and extremely counterproductive pathway" and calls upon the Human Rights Council members to say No to this draft resolution.

UN Human Rights Council ratified a resolution earlier on Friday which extended the mission of its special rapporteur on human rights conditions in Iran.

The resolution was approved while more than a half of the 47 member states of the Council either voted against the resolution or abstained.

Early in this month, Tehran rapped new UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights Javaid Rehman for his propaganda against Iran, and stressed once again that designation of a special rapporteur for the country is not justified legally and rationally.

Iran's Human Rights Headquarters in a statement on Saturday lashed out at Javaid for his hostility, propaganda and lies against Iran in interviews with different media, including the BBC, stressing that he should only report to the UN and is not allowed to involve in media and propaganda issues.

It added that Javaid Rahman's behavior indicates again that designation of a special rapporteur for Iran "is not justified legally and rationally and only shows the double-standards and political deception of the Human Rights Council".

The statement warned that if the high commissioner for human rights fails to stop Javaid's attitude "the extensive cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the Human Rights Council on this rapporteur will no doubt be reviewed".

Iran has always criticized the Human Rights Council for its double-standard behavior.

The country says that the United State and other western states' record of human rights violations disqualifies them of being a human rights advocate elsewhere in the world.

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