Iran says UN human rights reports are politically manipulated
TEHRAN, March 26 (MNA) – Iran has said that the United Nations reports about the human rights situation in the country are not true and the UN should not allow the reporting process to be politically manipulated by certain countries.
On March 22, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution against Iran in which it expressed “serious concerns” about human rights situation in Iran and renewed the mandate of its human rights investigator for Iran.
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Sajjadi, Iran’s representative to the Geneva-based council, issued a statement saying, “We continue to believe that (the) adoption of the resolution was an unfortunate manipulation of the UN human rights system.”
Following is the text of the statement:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Madam President,
With regard to the report of the Secretary General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, (A/HRC/19/82) which has just been introduced by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, my delegation would like to draw the attention of the Council to the following points:
1. First of all we would like to express our regret that the draft report of the Secretary General was submitted to us at a very late stage by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights , and despite our request, we were not given sufficient time to reflect on the Report and send our feedback to the Office.
2. The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to underline the fact that the General Assembly resolution 66/175 which gave the mandate to the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council was adopted as a result of political ambitions of certain countries and was voted against by the Islamic Republic of Iran and a number of UN members. We continue to believe that adoption of the said resolution was an unfortunate manipulation of the UN human rights system, and its content, including the requested report, is absolutely unjustified and unwarranted. Furthermore, I would like to underscore that producing two identical reports one by the Special Rapporteur and another by Secretary General, which are in fact repetition of same accusations, is procedurally wrong and rationally unjustifiable.
3. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the reporting on human rights situations should be accomplished on a healthy process, based on professionalism, objectivity, impartiality, non politicization and reliable information, but unfortunately it has been frequently distorted. In this regard, the reports of the Special Rapporteur and the Secretary General on human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran are unprofessional, unbalanced, unreliable, politically partial and in fact a copy-paste of one another. Hence, to avoid failing its credibility, the Council should not allow the reporting process to be politically manipulated by certain countries.
4. To our great dismay and surprise, we came to realize that the SG report is not a faithful reflection of real situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; rather it resembles a catalogue of poorly resourced and outdated allegations projected with exaggerated skepticism. Moreover, the Secretary General’s report is not inclusive and attempts to project different developments negatively while turning a blind eye to a large number of achievements and positive developments in my country. The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has worked wholeheartedly to realize all human rights of the people and to create a prosperous society based on justice, equality, partnership, legitimate freedoms and social and economic development. A quick glance at the recent periodic reports of the Islamic Republic of Iran submitted to the relevant treaty bodies as well as the UPR national report reflects the great achievements of the Iranian people and the Government in different spheres of life. At least it was highly expected that a portion of these successes, particularly in the promotion of civil liberties and human rights was duly reflected in the Report.
Madam President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always manifested its sincere commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights at the national and international levels. Our unflinching commitment and corresponding efforts and activities on the promotion and protection of human rights emanates from provisions of the Constitution as well as international treaties to which the Islamic republic of Iran is a party.
Notwithstanding our strong criticism of the SG report, we will continue our restive efforts to promote and protect human rights at national and international levels. Our commitment toward the protection and promotion of human rights is inherent, genuine and deeply rooted in our beliefs and values. It is intertwined with our hopes for a brighter, happier, more prosperous nation and our desire to work for the betterment of our own citizens.
Thank you
On March 22, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution against Iran in which it expressed “serious concerns” about human rights situation in Iran and renewed the mandate of its human rights investigator for Iran.
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Sajjadi, Iran’s representative to the Geneva-based council, issued a statement saying, “We continue to believe that (the) adoption of the resolution was an unfortunate manipulation of the UN human rights system.”
Following is the text of the statement:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Madam President,
With regard to the report of the Secretary General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, (A/HRC/19/82) which has just been introduced by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, my delegation would like to draw the attention of the Council to the following points:
1. First of all we would like to express our regret that the draft report of the Secretary General was submitted to us at a very late stage by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights , and despite our request, we were not given sufficient time to reflect on the Report and send our feedback to the Office.
2. The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to underline the fact that the General Assembly resolution 66/175 which gave the mandate to the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council was adopted as a result of political ambitions of certain countries and was voted against by the Islamic Republic of Iran and a number of UN members. We continue to believe that adoption of the said resolution was an unfortunate manipulation of the UN human rights system, and its content, including the requested report, is absolutely unjustified and unwarranted. Furthermore, I would like to underscore that producing two identical reports one by the Special Rapporteur and another by Secretary General, which are in fact repetition of same accusations, is procedurally wrong and rationally unjustifiable.
3. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the reporting on human rights situations should be accomplished on a healthy process, based on professionalism, objectivity, impartiality, non politicization and reliable information, but unfortunately it has been frequently distorted. In this regard, the reports of the Special Rapporteur and the Secretary General on human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran are unprofessional, unbalanced, unreliable, politically partial and in fact a copy-paste of one another. Hence, to avoid failing its credibility, the Council should not allow the reporting process to be politically manipulated by certain countries.
4. To our great dismay and surprise, we came to realize that the SG report is not a faithful reflection of real situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; rather it resembles a catalogue of poorly resourced and outdated allegations projected with exaggerated skepticism. Moreover, the Secretary General’s report is not inclusive and attempts to project different developments negatively while turning a blind eye to a large number of achievements and positive developments in my country. The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has worked wholeheartedly to realize all human rights of the people and to create a prosperous society based on justice, equality, partnership, legitimate freedoms and social and economic development. A quick glance at the recent periodic reports of the Islamic Republic of Iran submitted to the relevant treaty bodies as well as the UPR national report reflects the great achievements of the Iranian people and the Government in different spheres of life. At least it was highly expected that a portion of these successes, particularly in the promotion of civil liberties and human rights was duly reflected in the Report.
Madam President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always manifested its sincere commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights at the national and international levels. Our unflinching commitment and corresponding efforts and activities on the promotion and protection of human rights emanates from provisions of the Constitution as well as international treaties to which the Islamic republic of Iran is a party.
Notwithstanding our strong criticism of the SG report, we will continue our restive efforts to promote and protect human rights at national and international levels. Our commitment toward the protection and promotion of human rights is inherent, genuine and deeply rooted in our beliefs and values. It is intertwined with our hopes for a brighter, happier, more prosperous nation and our desire to work for the betterment of our own citizens.
Thank you