Head of Iran’s Human Rights Council Responds to Mogherini’s Statements

Mizan News – The Head of Iran’s Human Rights Council reacted to Mogherini’s statements on the continuation of human rights sanctions in Isamic Republic of Iran.

As reported by Mizan News, and quoted by the Human Rights Council Information Centre, Dr. Mohammad Javad Larijani emphasized that the Human Rights Council supports Iran’s Foreign Minister regarding Iran’s readiness for human rights negotiations with the European Union. He said, “We support our Foreign Minister, but planning and enforcing sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s individuals and organizations under the excuse of human rights contraventions is a shameful and unjustifiable action.”

He said that Islamic Republic of Iran will consider such actions as political enmity, “The majority of EU members have expanded economic and military relations in our region without the least consideration of the norms of human rights. Even worse is that these countries spend millions of dollars equipping or creating dangerous terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-sham, all met with absolute silence from the EU. They are the main reasons behind tragedies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Africa – they should be ashamed to think of them.”

He then posed this question: “Doesn’t the EU count these [tragedies] as contraventions of human rights? Don’t they find it necessary to take action in this regard? Unfortunately, applying double standards – along with obvious human rights infractions in the West including racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia – all of this depletes the value of Western human rights claims.”

Concluding his remarks, Larijani said, “Iran and Europe’s human rights negotiations should work to expose these double standards, and to show that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the greatest democracy of the region.”