Iran criticizes racial discrimination in US

Iran has criticized profound racial discrimination in the United States, saying the ongoing tensions in the US society indicate a clear gap between the country’s political realities and its claims about democracy.

“Massive protests by the American people against racial discrimination and the institutionalized violent behavior toward the colored people show the continuation of chronic wounds in the US community,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Sunday.

She slammed the US police’s mistreatment of minorities and the people of color and the implicit support of the country’s judicial system for racial segregation and violence against them, adding, “The US policymakers and rulers need a profound approach to their country’s domestic situation.”

Afkham noted that the US has used human rights as a tool to constantly criticize other countries over the past decades while it ignores its own domestic conditions.

The Iranian spokesperson said the issue of human rights is a broad issue and applies to all human beings, saying time is ripe for applying human rights norms to all countries without discrimination and political considerations.

The US administration and judicial system are expected to fulfill their responsibility and treat the American citizens based on justice and law and prevent any racial profiling and inhumane approach, she pointed out.

Afkham’s remarks came after US President Barack Obama on Monday acknowledged that the United States is suffering from racial discrimination amid protests over a jury decision not to indict an officer who killed an unarmed black American.

Angry protesters took to the streets across the United States after a jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson who shot dead unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August.