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UN chief ignores violation of Iranians’ rights through US sanctions: Official

Monday, 16 November 2020 6:09 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 15 March 2021 6:26 PM ]

Secretary of the Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights Ali Baqeri-Kani

A senior Iranian human rights official has strongly criticized UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for ignoring US violation of Iranians' rights, including through the imposition of inhumane sanctions, while trying to slam Iran’s human rights performance.

Addressing a session of Iran’s High Judicial Council on Monday, the secretary of the Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights, Ali Baqeri-Kani, slammed certain countries for trying to pass an anti-Iran rights resolution at the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee, highlighting bleak rights records of the sponsors of the draft resolution.

“Canada, who is the main driving force behind rights resolution against Iran has a record of systematic violation of human rights,” including against the country’s native population while being among top countries in terms of violence against women and girls, Baqeri-Kani said.

“Those who are behind this resolution are the same countries, which have given refuge to terrorist groups that have killed thousands of Iranians ... or have been following suit with the United States’ “maximum pressure” campaign by implementing Washington’s unjust and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation,” Iran’s rights chief added.

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The Iranian official then noted that the Canada-drafted resolution is based on a report by Guterres, which “suffers from many shortcomings and contradictions.”

Criticizing the UN chief’s inattention to violation of Iranians’ rights through brutal US sanctions, Baqeri-Kani said, “There is no logic behind inattention of the secretary general’s report to violation of Iranian nation’s rights through imposition of sanction by the US regime, which are also being observed by other Western countries, and their impact on the economic and livelihood situation of the Iranian people.”

The UN secretary general last year removed Saudi Arabia from the name of child-killing countries, despite the fact that hundreds of Yemeni children have been killed in the Saudi war against the impoverished country, Iran’s rights chief said, adding, “This measure does not conform to any humane and human rights norm.”

“In this letter, the UN chief has been asked why he has remained silent in the face of continued and blatant violation of the Iranian nation’s rights by the United States and other Western governments who have been implementing illegal US sanctions,” Baqeri-Kani said.