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Statement of Iranian High Council for Human Rights in response to UNHCR’s statement on recent unrest

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights – which is the governmental national human rights institution of Iran and a subdivision to the Judiciary of I.R. Iran-, issued a statement in response to statements issued by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and some Special Rapporteurs on recent unrest.

The statement declares:

It is evident that the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes peaceful protest as the right of the people, and has clear and guaranteed laws and regulations in this regard. But peaceful protestors are clearly different from the rioters and those who have been influenced, organized and armed by interventions of the US and some other governments to kill innocent people, destroy public property, set fire on banks and other places as well as looting people’s property.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, firmly committed to promoting and protecting human rights based on the illuminating teachings of Islam, has always adhered to its obligations to its citizens and to the international community. And has endured and sustained repeated and varied offenses and persistent and unjust external pressures over the past forty years.

The Iranian people are the victims and the target of widespread and cruel unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States that violate universal human rights principles and values. The sanctions target the most vulnerable – including women, children, the elderly, and those in critical need of medical, health, pharmaceutical and food services. These measures are precisely an attempt to punish citizens in contravention of international law, including human rights and humanitarian law.

Before taking any stance by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Iranian nation was expected her to strongly condemn the clear role and intervention by US officials, including the Secretary of State which tried to turn popular protests into turmoil and insecurity.

Undoubtedly, the governments that supported these upheavals and insecurities should take responsibility for their own actions.

It is a pity that the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement without paying attention to the plot to turn protests into turmoil and insecurity and has expressed concern over subjects which are far from the realities and even has fully ignored the task and duty of the sovereign state to maintain security and provide peace for the people. We are confident that the High Commissioner did not consider the burning of public property to create chaos and insecurity as peaceful demonstrations!

The Islamic Republic of Iran is strongly committed to the important role of constructive dialogue and cooperation, both nationally and for the resolution of international, economic, social, cultural and political issues, in order to promote and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, as set forth in the UN Charter.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the most important and largest democracy in West Asia, with all the pillars of power being elected by direct or indirect vote of the “people”. Currently, we are on the verge of holding parliamentary elections in Iran, the sole legislative body in the country, with full powers to oversee, intercept, and reform administrative and judicial mechanisms and other state affairs.

Elections in the Islamic Republic are a lively and vibrant process in which serious and widespread competition is taking place. How such an important phenomenon that puts the nation’s opinion in the centre of political affairs has been ignored by the issuers of the statement from the Office of the High Commissioner? Is the field of contests and competitions a field other than the dialogue of parties, factions and groups and their interaction?

However, it is no secret that the United States, some of the European governments and their regional slaves, who have sought to impose puppet dictator governments on the regional countries with rich oil resources, see the emergence of such a strong, effective and successful democracy as a serious threat to their illegitimate interests. So they are trying to disrupt the election process and defame it globally. But thanks to God they have not been successful so far and they will never be in the future.

In a statement, the High Commissioner’s spokesman was concerned about the disconnection of the Internet and considered it to be in violation of the right to freedom of expression and access to information! While the Internet was never disconnected inside the country, people were easily connected to the national network and had access to different information and database.

It is interesting that apparently only some of the material that is produced from Western “claims” sources of information is considered “information”! Why only the subversive role of Western or European media in encouraging people to act of violence, killing, lying and mind-boggling is called “access to information”? Isn’t a violation of human rights for the United Nations Human Rights Council to put Negative and devastating impact on the thoughts and minds as well as the individual and collective life of the people of the world?

Obviously, the use of weapons and the use of violence against people and the police and attack on public and private property causes legal liability. Domestic and international law does not provide any permission for armed and violent gatherings.

During recent incidents, individuals have not been detained for peaceful protests, and law enforcement officials/the police-which have been constantly trained for showing restrict and tolerance- have shown continued restraint, to the extent that several rioters resort to firearms and as a result, several police personnel were martyred or injured.

A lot of baseless and undocumented news and information from unreliable sources has been released about the latest incidents in Iran- including the number of deaths and injuries- from the foreign media and the centers of evil around the world, none of which can be confirmed. Therefore, due to the necessity of transparency and the necessity of investigating the financial damages and damages inflicted on the people, the people’s representatives in the Parliament and the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic have begun the process of investigating recent incidents. They then make the necessary decisions to assess and compensate for the damage to the people.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Rapporteurs who issue statements are expected to seriously avoid making hasty judgments based on untrue news from the media of countries that unilaterally impose sanctions on the Iranian population, including women, children, the elderly and those in need of medical, medicinal and nutritional care.

It is regrettable that the positions of the spokesperson for the UNHCR and some of the rapporteurs issuing the statement are in support of the riots and violators of the nation’s rights. Their remarks are reminiscent of the biased, unilateral and interventionist statements and positions of the President of the United States and the US Secretary of State. They express concern that they deliberately pass on and take no heed of the acts of saboteurs that destroy public property, disturb public order, kill and injure innocent people, including women and children. These so-called international human rights watchdogs have criticized and expressed concern over Internet restrictions while keeping their eyes on the propaganda of violence, sabotage and subversive guidelines and practices.

Such positions not only deviate from the mission of human rights institutions and special agents, but also undermine their credibility and reputation.

Finally, the issuers’ attention should be drawn to the recent statements by the Special Regulatory Officers on the subject of Resolution 5/2, as well as the provisions of paragraph 1, Article 4, the 3rd paragraph of Article 19, Article 21, and the exception provided for in paragraph 2. Article 22 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and explicitly referred to in Article 5 of the Vienna Declaration of Human Rights (1993), “All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated. The international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind “.






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