MPs Reject Charges by UN Rights Envoy

A lawmaker denounced as “politicized” and unprofessional the recent allegations of prisoners’ rights violations in a statement by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir.

“Such reports are biased, politicized and fall short of the standards of professionalism and the Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied such baseless claims,” Ezzatollah Yousefian said in an interview with ICANA on Tuesday.  He said a unified approach to human rights considerations in various countries fails to recognize the differences in local rules. 

“Every country has its own domestic rules and regulations and international institutions cannot interfere in the domestic rules of countries and the recent statement by Asma Jahangir is a new UN excuse to pressure the Islamic Republic.”

Farhad Falahati, another member of parliament, echoed Yousefian’s views.

“The approach of the western countries and global bodies [toward Iran] on human rights is not logical and legal and such reports are tainted by political motives.”

“Despite constructive and transparent measures by the Islamic Republic in recent years, [they] have not changed their approach … and still release untrue reports about the human rights situation in our country,” Falahati added. Jahangir, Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, was appointed as special rapporteur on human rights in Iran on September 1, 2016, replacing the Maldivian diplomat Ahmed Shaheed.

Secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council Mohammad Javad Larijani on Monday dismissed Jahangir’s allegations on the situation of some prisoners in Iran.

“Regarding a recent press release by your office which included a statement by Ms. Asma Jahangir, I regret to say that all of it is incorrect, unjustifiable and disappointing,” Larijani said in a letter to UN human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein. Such “false” reports can undermine the credibility of the council as an impartial international authority, the senior rights official cautioned. He also said Iran’s human rights council will provide a clear, unambiguous response to the allegations, Fars News Agency reported.