GENEVA (Dispatches) -- Iran’s representative here on Thursday defended the country’s human rights record at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, after the panel adopted a Western-back resolution against the Islamic Republic.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets that the Human Rights Council is abused, once again, by some arrogant states to antagonize a sovereign UN Member State that is fully committed to its obligation to promote and protect the human rights,” said Deputy of the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khadijeh Karimi, in a speech to the body.
“Reducing the common cause of human rights to a tool for political purposes of specific groups of Western countries is appalling and disgraceful,” she added.
Her remarks came after the UN Human Rights Council voted to condemn Iran’s reaction to the recent riots in the country and create a purported fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses.
A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was backed by the United States and some of its allies in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Six countries opposed the move — China, Pakistan, Cuba, Eritrea, Venezuela and Armenia — while 16 abstained.
She enumerated Iran’s efforts to foster the role of women in the workplace and higher education and hit out at Western countries for turning a blind eye to rights abuses in places like Yemen, Palestinian areas, or against indigenous peoples in Canada.
Karimi acknowledged the “unfortunate decease” of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in hospital after attending a training session at a police station and said “necessary measures” were taken afterward, including a creation of a parliamentary investigative commission. She denounced Western countries for stoking riots and violence by intervening in Iran’s internal affairs.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, “The German government and some other contributing Western countries to this resolution have made a strategic mistake based on wrong calculations and under the pressure of specific political lobbies and the fake news of some anti-Iranian media.”
“Despite some protesters’ resorting to violence and causing riots based on foreign-organized abuses, provocations, and interventions in the past two months and adoption of terrorist measures by few individuals and armed groups, defending forces of the country’s security have dealt with rioters with maximum restraint as tens of police and security forces have been martyred and thousands more have sustained injuries,” it said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said Germany was the main provider of chemical weapons to former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, during his imposed war against Iran in the 1980s, which were frequently used against Iranian people with disastrous consequences.
“Now, they are abusing HR mechanisms to perpetrate more HR violations, all in the name of a farce ‘solidarity’ with Iranians,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
“Even worse & more shameful, they’re doing this for cheap domestic games. Iran, as a strong & stable country, is fully committed to HR, but won’t allow foreign meddling in its internal affairs,” he added.