Spokesman Rejects UN Draft Resolution on Iran’s Human Rights Status
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson denounced a draft resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, proposed by Canada and approved by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, saying the biased anti-Iran document has been devised with political purposes.
In a statement of Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi decried the approval of the anti-Iran draft resolution in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, saying the resolution has been supported by the governments that are known as the greatest violators of human rights in their own and in the other countries.
“This resolution has been initiated and approved without taking into account the realities on the ground in Iran, and on the basis of a selective, discriminatory, and biased attitude with political purposes,” Qassemi deplored, saying Iran rejects the resolution.
“We strongly condemn the instrumental use of human rights, human rights resolutions, and international mechanisms by certain Western countries, by the occupying and child-murderer Zionist regime (of Israel), and by some regional reactionary states that are aimed at pursuing the ominous extremist objectives, as well as the anarchistic polices and support for the separatist terrorists; as we believe that continuation of this trend would undermine the international community’s trust in the international mechanisms and would question their efficiency and productivity under the necessary circumstances,” he added.
The spokesman finally underlined that the only appropriate and internationally-accepted process for evaluation of human rights situation is the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) that assesses the human rights situation in all countries without prejudice.
“Our country’s constructive and active partnership in this mechanism (UPR) demonstrates Iran’s seriousness in promotion of human rights and honoring its international commitments through constructive cooperation and mechanisms based upon dialogue,” Qassemi concluded.
On Thursday, the Third Committee approved a draft resolution titled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran” (document A/C.3/73/L.42).
The representative of Canada, introducing the draft, said reports of the UN Secretary‑General and Special Rapporteur reveal further deterioration of Iran’s human rights situation.
In response, the representative of Iran deplored the continuation of counterproductive, selective country‑specific resolutions, which contravened the principle of universality.
The Universal Periodic Review provides a proper mechanism to address such issues “without naming and shaming” and he disassociated from the draft, Eshaq Al-e-Habib said in the UN meeting in New York.