Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi dismissed United Nation’s new report on its human rights record and announced, “Tehran does not recognize it”.
Pakistani lawyer, Asma Jahangir who on November 1, 2016 replaced Maldivian diplomat Ahmed Shahid as the UN special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, is set to present her second report on the Islamic Republic at the third committee of the UN General Assembly.
“Asma Jahangir’s report”, Qassemi announced on Sunday, September 3, “Is biased and based on political and selective objectives”, adding, “Therefore, her report as well as her mission are totally rejected and unacceptable”.
Furthermore, According to Tasnim, a news agency close to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, IRGC, Qassemi accused Asma Jahangir of ignoring the improvement of human rights situation in Iran.
“Unfortunately, the special rapporteur seems to have turned a blind eye to the multiple cases of human rights advances in Iran and tried to display a gloomy and one-sided image of the status of human rights in Iran with the repeated use of vague phrases and expression of unreasonable concern on the basis of inauthentic data”.
Last year, when Asma Jahangir presented her first report on widespread violation of human rights in Iran, the Islamic republic’s official news agency, IRNA accused her of receiving bribes from Saudi Arabia, supporting Mujahedin Khalq-i Iran Organization, MKO (an exiled opposition group) and backing narcotic smugglers.
The Pakistani lawyer immediately issued a statement emphasizing “Such libelous accusations” will not push her into defensive position and will not disrupt her reports”.
One of the main criticisms of human rights defenders has been Iran’s relentless pace of executions, mainly directed at convicted drug traffickers.