Iran says human rights "a cultural issue"

Mohammad Javad Larijani

Iran’s top judicial adviser for human rights affairs, Mohammad Javad Larijani accused Western states of abusing the issue of human rights against the Islamic Republic.

IRNA reports that in the 65th meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, a number of countries have proposed the passage of a resolution on human rights violations in the Islamic Republic.

Secretary General of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, Mohammad Javad Larijani told the assembly in New York: “Human rights and related bodies should not turn into a field for certain Western countries to take political advantage of the issue and exert pressure on other states.”

He added: “Western countries have a very negative stance on adopting a fair and undiscriminating approach to investigating human rights of certain countries. This originates from self-centeredness of some of these countries and their humiliating view of others.”

These statements come after 56 member states of the United Nations issued a statement in June which was read in the assembly expressing deep concern regarding the critical situation of human rights in Iran especially after the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which has been challenged by millions of protesters in Iran.

Larijani contended that the countries involved in the presentation of the recent resolution “have shameful report cards themselves in cases of blatant violation of the rights of their own citizens and those of other countries.”

He added: “Today Western societies are filled with discrimination, Islamophobia, punishments, illegal arrests and interrogations together with torture which are being covered up in the guise of protecting security and fighting against terrorism.”

He claimed that for the Islamic Republic the issue of human rights is a “completely cultural matter and should be open to input from diverse cultures.”

Despite the statement from Larijani, Iranian human rights activists including Nobel Peace laureate, Shirin Ebadi, insist that the situation of human rights in Iran is critical and deteriorating by day.