Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior official in Iran’s judiciary, has explained why the appointment of a UN official examining human rights is illegal: “Iran’s great democracy should be recognized and it does not need a rapporteur.”
The Iranian official, the brother of Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani and head of judiciary Sadegh Amoli Larijani, said current rapporter Ahmed Shaheed must quit:
He had better step down as soon as possible because he has left a bad record as a UN human rights rapporteur.
Assigning a rapporteur on Iran is not justifiable and as it is not justifiable, it is illegal.
Shaheed was elected in June 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council. Despite being barred from entry into Iran, he has issued a series of reports, based on interviews outside the country and contact with those inside, as well as the testimony of human rights organizations.
Shaheed’s latest report in August documented executions, detentions, violations of civil and political rights and of due process of law, repression of journalists and lawyers, and restrictions on the media and free expression.
Larijani insisted on Thursday that the rapporteur was biased and “bases his reports on information available on news websites and pieces them together”.
(Featured Photo: Women’s section of Evin Prison in Tehran)
