Iran rights chief denounces UN fact-finding mission as politically motivated

Gharibabadi made the remarks on Wednesday on the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council (19 June to 14 July 2023) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

He stated that the very same countries that provoked the recent riots in Iran and of course were later caught in a similar situation have been the founders of the mechanism.

Gharibabadi said what happened in Iran last fall was “not simple and peaceful” gatherings, but violent riots and terrorist attacks engineered by think tanks in the West and carried out with the financial, arms and media support of West security services.

“Several Western countries were involved in fomenting the riots. Terrorists also entered the scene and nearly 100 persons affiliated with terrorist groups, mostly from Monafeqin (MKO), were arrested,” he stated.

During the three months of riots, “Over 75 law enforcement forces and people were martyred by the rioters, and more than 7,000 law enforcement forces were also injured,” he continued, adding, “Also, over 2,000 places and public and private property were destroyed by the rioters.”

Nowadays, France is using extreme force against peaceful protests, widespread arbitrary arrests, and extensive restrictions on the Internet and social networks, Gharibabadi highlighted.

He went on to say that in order to suppress the people, the French police force is resorting to the police of the child-killing Zionist regime of Israel.

Stating that today’s session should have investigated the situation in France, Gharibabadi regretted that hypocritical behavior has dominated the human rights mechanisms.

He added that those who claim to support human rights have deliberately kept silent.

Gharibabadi also said that unilateral and oppressive sanctions that have brought pain and suffering to Iranian women and children are crimes against humanity.

He further said Western states are not in a position to talk about the rights of women and children in Iran, while they themselves are violating the rights of women and children in their own countries.

He enumerated a number of crimes committed by certain countries against Iran, citing the role of Western states in providing former Iraqi regime with chemical weapons that were used in attacks against the Islamic Republic in 1980s, impacting thousands of Iranian women and children.

The official also pointed to the illegal and cruel sanctions on Iran by Western countries, saying the bans have caused many Iranian women and children to suffer, slamming the punitive measures as a crime against humanity.