Gharibabadi: Human rights claimants main violators of Iranian people’s rights

Pars Today – Iran’s representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council emphasized that those who claim to champion human rights are themselves the primary violators of the Iranian people’s rights through sanctions, support for war, and failure to condemn acts of aggression.

According to Pars Today, citing IRNA, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on Monday at the high-level session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva that certain Western governments, which present themselves as standard-bearers of human rights, are in fact the main violators of the rights of the great Iranian nation.

He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is “a responsible and accountable country in the field of human rights,” adding that the Islamic Revolution was a movement aimed at liberation from dictatorship and the establishment of a system of popular governance.

Referring to the support provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to Saddam Hussein’s regime during the imposed war against Iran, Gharibabadi stated that, as a result of that backing, more than 830,000 Iranians were martyred or injured, including 117,000 who were victims of chemical weapons.

He also pointed to the assassination of more than 25,000 Iranian citizens by groups which, he said, have taken refuge in certain Western countries, and described unilateral sanctions as a “widespread violation of the right to life and a crime against humanity.”

Criticism of double standards toward Iran and Gaza

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, referring to the 12-day war by Israel and the United States against Iran, stated that more than 1,060 people were martyred and around 6,000 were injured. He stressed that those who claim to defend human rights not only failed to condemn the aggression, but also supported the aggressors.

He also addressed what he called the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, saying that more than 244,000 people have been martyred or injured, and yet obstruction within international institutions continues.

Gharibabadi criticized the politicization of human rights mechanisms, adding that the Human Rights Council has become a tool in the hands of false claimants of human rights.

Referring to Iran’s civilizational heritage and the Cyrus Human Rights Charter, he emphasized that Iran possessed human rights traditions long before the emergence of the Western civilizations that now claim to champion such values.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister warned that Tehran will “stand firm with strength” against any military or political threat. He stressed: “You tested sanctions and war against Iran and achieved no results; now is the time to try diplomacy and respect.”