US in no place to opine on human rights situation in other states: Iran

Iran has dismissed the recent US allegations of human rights violation in the Islamic Republic, saying Washington is in no position to make any judgment about other countries’ situation in this regard.

“The US government, due to its very bad and dark record of human rights whether inside the country or at an international level, is not in a position to comment on the human rights situation in other countries,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday.

He categorically rejected all allegations leveled by the US Department of State in its 2016 human rights report, which was released on March 3.

The report alleged that Iran was violating human rights by denying its citizens the freedom of speech and restricting their political activities. It also accused Iran of restricting women's rights in the country.   

The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that no international circle or organization had given any authorization to the US government to evaluate the human rights status in other countries one-sidedly and with political motives.

He said the US government’s measures in other countries across the world were a violation of their national sovereignty and a clear breach of human rights.

“The recent US move to ban the entry of Muslims into the US and cause trouble for Muslim families in the country are also among other cases of their [the US] human rights violation,” Qassemi added.

On January 27, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order that blocked entry into the United States for 90 days for citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It also suspended entry of all refugees for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indefinitely.

US District Judge James Robart in Seattle, Washington, suspended the order nationwide on February 4 after his state challenged its legality. On February 9, a three-judge panel in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Robart's ruling.

The White House has vowed to issue a revised travel ban, which would still target the same seven Muslim countries.

Read more:

• Iran MPs pass legislation in response to Trump travel ban
• Trump’s ban on Muslims entry will harm US: Leader’s aide

The Iranian spokesman further said the US government’s move to release such meddlesome reports aimed to cover up human rights violations inside the US and draw the world public attention away from Washington’s support for regional allies that have an awful human rights record and whose war crimes against other nations in the region have become known to all.

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