Iran says UN rapporteur’s ‘biased’ report would only undermine human rights

Tehran has denounced as “politicized” and “biased” the UN rapporteur’s report on the country’s human rights situation, saying such an approach would only undermine human rights in Iran.

In his report to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, the so-called UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Javaid Rehman claimed he had continued to receive information on the use of confessions obtained by torture in Iranian prisons as evidence in cases carrying the death penalty.

“There are many cases of harassment and threats against families of victims and others calling for justice... In some cases, individuals are subjected to criminal prosecution simply for having called for justice,” he alleged.

In a statement released on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the report, which he said contained false allegations and claims.

He said the allegations are based on misinformation received from hostile sources, including terrorist groups and Western groups.

“While rejecting the malicious, biased report that is full of one-sided and incorrect information and conclusions by Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes that the political and selective approach to human rights not only does not help to promote it but also harms and undermines it,” Khatibzadeh said.

He said the fact that Rehman’s report fails to take into account the adverse impacts of unilateral coercive measures against Iran attests to his biased approach toward the issue.

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Iran’s top human rights official says the so-called UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran is not independent and ignores violation of Iranians’ rights.

According to the Iranian spokesman, Iran has always offered its comments to the special rapporteur, but despite the country’s sincere approach, the rapporteur has disregarded Iran’s comments in his report.

The Islamic Republic remains committed to the promotion of human rights both inside and outside its borders regardless of Western countries’ double standards and hypocrisy over the issue, Khatibzadeh added.

Separately, Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, also lashed out at the report on Twitter.

“The High Council for Human Rights condemns the approach employed by the so-called special rapporteur on Iran, which proves that instead of pursuing a policy of dialogue and cooperation, he has favored a biased and politically-motivated approach,” he said.

Iran has repeatedly warned of the exploitation of human rights as a tool of pressure by Western countries.

In remarks on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi condemned Western countries for their double standards concerning human rights issues.

“We condemn the application of double standards by Western countries and the instrumental use of the concept of human rights as well as the silence and inaction of countries that claim to be advocates of these rights” in the face of human rights violations by certain countries, Raeisi said.

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In an interview with Press TV’s Face To Face program last weekend, Gharibabadi also slammed the US and the Western European countries for politicizing human rights as a pressure tool against non-aligned countries.

“The Western European countries and the United States have this selective approach, unfortunately. So, the countries that are not allies of these states are under political pressure in international human rights mechanisms and structures because they are going to abuse human rights as a political tool to achieve their own foreign policy goals,” he said.

The remarks came in the aftermath of Saudi Arabia’s execution of 81 prisoners in a single day over “terror-related offenses,” which marked the largest mass execution carried out by the ultra-conservative kingdom in one day.

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