Statement by
Ms. Fatemeh Arab Bafrani
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Before the Third Committee of the 77th Session of the General Assembly
On Agenda Item 68: (a-d) Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
“Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Javaid REHMAN”
New York, 26 October 2022
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Mr. Chair,
Unfortunately, once again Iran is targeted by terrorist attacks. I wish to inform you that our people and my country were today targeted by a terrorist attack at a religious site in Shiraz, causing at least the deaths of 15 people and injuring 21, till now. This is a heinous terrorist attack on innocent people, including children and women.
Mr. Chair,
Regarding the report,
The Islamic Republic of Iran regrets that the third committee`s platform is repeatedly instrumentalized as a political leverage to antagonize a sovereign UN Member State. Reducing the lofty cause of human rights into a petty political tool is appalling and disgraceful. It is difficult to deny that some specific countries with a long history of interventionist policies are abusing the committee as a means to impose their will, upon countries that don't serve their interests.
Mr. Chairman,
It is a matter of principle that the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently rejected the mandate of the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, as a political action intended to stigmatize and demonize the country. Nevertheless, Iran has interacted with Mr. Javaid Rehman in a spirit of constructive dialogue to present its views on human rights promotion and protection and to provide accurate information and factual data to drafters, so that they can avoid falsities and mis-representations regarding Iran's human rights measures.
Iran's constructive approach, however, has been undermined by Mr. Rehman, whose persistent failure to acknowledge Iran's comments has rendered Iran's hard efforts ineffective and futile. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur, as an appointee of the UK`s deceitful foreign policy has constantly denigrated the culture, religion, customs, and traditions of the Iranian nation. In addition, he has disparaged the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as its governing structure.
Mr. Rehman’s over-reliance on false information obtained from foreign-based anti-Iranian media outlets and even some terrorist groups has stripped his subsequent reports of any credence or credibility. He has infringed on the framework of his mandate and adopted an invasive and abusive approach in breach of the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-Holders of the HRC.
The reports have also purposely ignored the negative impacts of the United States’ unlawful unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of the human rights of the Iranian people. I would like to draw your attention to the utterly biased approach taken by the SR while addressing the brutal impacts of UCMs, as follows:
While the report`s focus is on the arbitrary deprivation of life, it lacks genuinely addressing the negative impacts of such illegal unilateral sanctions on the lives of Iranian children and those with rare diseases and medical conditions. The report, ONLY “notes with concerns the general impact of sanctions” and “recalls the duty of the Islamic Republic of Iran” to mitigate these impacts. Undermining the lives of a great number of children and patients in need of pharmaceutical and medical equipment as a result of the US unilateral sanctions cannot be justified in any way. Recalling the fact that Mr. Rehman has never been associated with any statement condemning UCMs against the Iranian people, it must be concluded that his approach to human rights is utterly biased.
Moreover, the report, while addressing the assassination of our high-level officials at the heart of the capital of my country, highlights Iran`s duty to investigate the assassinations and extrajudicial killings, regardless of naming and underscoring the responsibility of the States per-petrators.
Furthermore, Mr. Rehman has also deliberately overlooked the brutal terrorist acts against innocent Iranian people that have claimed the lives of more than 17,000 people over a decade. It`s unforgivable that the European Union sheltered and provided a safe haven for these terrorist groups till now.
In addition, the Special Rapporteur intentionally ignored a number of encouraging government measures and practices that contribute to promoting and protecting human rights. Instead, he focused on a spectrum of misleading and unverified information.
The Special Rapporteur has repeatedly misused the reporting platform to spread disinformation, promote hatred and incite violence aiming to destabilize Iranian society. Regarding the recent events in Iran, despite the fact that several Iranian official reports have been released and also distributed by the Permanent Missions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New York and Geneva, the Special Rapporteur has failed to devote a single attention to them, instead using social media relentlessly to disseminate misinformation for the purpose of inciting more unrest.
Finally, Mr. Chair, the Islamic Republic of Iran is genuinely committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and dignity and continues to place the highest value on its cooperative and interactive approach in relation to the United Nation human rights non-discriminatory mechanisms, such as the UPR. The Iranian government firmly rejects all the baseless allegations and ill-advised claims contained in the report against the country, considering it as part of a purely political agenda by the co-sponsoring States.
I thank you