Iran: UN Rights Resolution, a ‘Political Charade’
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran on Friday strongly repudiated a UN rights panel resolution which faulted Tehran over its application of death penalty and women rights in the country.
The resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee was approved Thursday with 85-30 votes and 68 abstentions.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said "certain Western countries, the occupying and child-killing Zionist regime, and some reactionary regimes in the region” were behind the motion.
The resolution had been adopted by "the biggest violators of human rights,” he said, adding it had "ignored realities inside Iran and were based on a selective, discriminatory, ill-intentioned, and politically-charged approaches”.
Such a behavior "will compromise the international community’s trust in international mechanisms and their efficacy”, Qasemi said as he reiterated Iran’s "seriousness in enhancing human rights and acting on its international commitments” in this regard.
Earlier, Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN Es’haq Al-e Habib condemned the resolution, saying its architects were playing a "political charade".
He said the countries behind the motion have done everything in their power to "suppress or derail” Iranian people’s "century-long struggle… for the causes of human rights and democracy”.
"Orchestrating a military coup in 1953 against a democratically-elected government, unconditionally supporting a despotic ruler for the following two and half decades, supporting a war of aggression against Iranians during the 1980s, providing chemical weapons and reconnaissance to (former Iraqi dictator) Saddam to target Iranians, shutting down an Iranian passenger flight murdering all of its 290 passengers, colluding with renowned terrorist cults, and waging a full-fledged economic war against Iranians in defiance of Security Council resolution 2231 and the mandatory ruling of the International Court of Justice are only a few examples to recall,” he said.
"In fact, not a single day has passed since 1953 in which the same forces have not harmed and tortured Iranians,” Al-e Habib added.
He also hit out at the U.S. and the West for imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran, saying such "sanctions of mass destruction” had killed more people around the world than all of the weapons of mass destruction "put together throughout history”.
"Weaponizing food and medicine against civilians has no other designation but crime against humanity,” he said. "Apparently, for self-proclaimed champions of human rights to reach their political objectives even a whole nation can be murdered.”
Al-e Habib said Canada was a clear example of hijacking a democracy by "proponents of racism and of apartheid”.
"Canada insists on this futile resolution notwithstanding the fact that Israel, the last apartheid regime of the world, is one of its constant co-sponsors,” he said.
Ale-e Habib said while Iran admits "deficiencies” in practicing human rights, it is "determined to address them”.
"However, it is not for those who traditionally, historically and practically supported colonialism, slavery, racism and apartheid to lecture Iranians on human rights," he said.
"Please remember that unlike those few who have historically abused human rights as instruments in their foreign policy toolbox, Iran continues to earnestly believe in dialogue based on mutual understanding, cooperation and respect,” he added.
The resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee was approved Thursday with 85-30 votes and 68 abstentions.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said "certain Western countries, the occupying and child-killing Zionist regime, and some reactionary regimes in the region” were behind the motion.
The resolution had been adopted by "the biggest violators of human rights,” he said, adding it had "ignored realities inside Iran and were based on a selective, discriminatory, ill-intentioned, and politically-charged approaches”.
Such a behavior "will compromise the international community’s trust in international mechanisms and their efficacy”, Qasemi said as he reiterated Iran’s "seriousness in enhancing human rights and acting on its international commitments” in this regard.
Earlier, Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN Es’haq Al-e Habib condemned the resolution, saying its architects were playing a "political charade".
He said the countries behind the motion have done everything in their power to "suppress or derail” Iranian people’s "century-long struggle… for the causes of human rights and democracy”.
"Orchestrating a military coup in 1953 against a democratically-elected government, unconditionally supporting a despotic ruler for the following two and half decades, supporting a war of aggression against Iranians during the 1980s, providing chemical weapons and reconnaissance to (former Iraqi dictator) Saddam to target Iranians, shutting down an Iranian passenger flight murdering all of its 290 passengers, colluding with renowned terrorist cults, and waging a full-fledged economic war against Iranians in defiance of Security Council resolution 2231 and the mandatory ruling of the International Court of Justice are only a few examples to recall,” he said.
"In fact, not a single day has passed since 1953 in which the same forces have not harmed and tortured Iranians,” Al-e Habib added.
He also hit out at the U.S. and the West for imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran, saying such "sanctions of mass destruction” had killed more people around the world than all of the weapons of mass destruction "put together throughout history”.
"Weaponizing food and medicine against civilians has no other designation but crime against humanity,” he said. "Apparently, for self-proclaimed champions of human rights to reach their political objectives even a whole nation can be murdered.”
Al-e Habib said Canada was a clear example of hijacking a democracy by "proponents of racism and of apartheid”.
"Canada insists on this futile resolution notwithstanding the fact that Israel, the last apartheid regime of the world, is one of its constant co-sponsors,” he said.
Ale-e Habib said while Iran admits "deficiencies” in practicing human rights, it is "determined to address them”.
"However, it is not for those who traditionally, historically and practically supported colonialism, slavery, racism and apartheid to lecture Iranians on human rights," he said.
"Please remember that unlike those few who have historically abused human rights as instruments in their foreign policy toolbox, Iran continues to earnestly believe in dialogue based on mutual understanding, cooperation and respect,” he added.