HRC’s crocodile tears for human rights situation in Iran
The UN Human Rights Council held a special session on Thursday in Geneva to address what it described as 'The deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran'; the meeting, however, drew strong criticism from a number of countries which accused the HRC of adopting a double standard approach.
One of those countries was Venezuela. Its envoy said that holding such a session has no justification, as there has been a media campaign ongoing against Iran amid the recent riots there.
The Venezuelan envoy also accused Western states of using the human rights issue as a tool for political goals, saying that the Iranian people have been under Western sanctions for years now, with their fundamental rights being violated.
The Syrian envoy echoed the same comments, and criticized the politicization of the human rights issues in Iran, while denouncing the HRC for adopting a double standard approach towards the human rights situation in different countries.
The Cuban representative rejected the Thursday special session on Iran as well, saying that Cuba is opposed to imposing sanctions on Iran, interfering in its internal affairs, and violating its national sovereignty.
The Nicaraguan envoy expressed support for the Islamic Republic, calling on all member states of the HRC to act unbiasedly and avoid meddling in other countries’ affairs.
The Russian envoy, who addressed the meeting virtually, accused Western countries of politically using the human rights issue, saying that the HRC’s adopting a resolution for an international investigation into the human rights situation in Iran without the country’s consent is “illegal.”
Meddling in Iran’s internal affairs should come to an end, the Russian envoy urged.
Pakistan’s representative, meanwhile, criticized the HRC for ignoring the economic rights of people in developing countries during its special sessions over the past years.
The Pakistani envoy also condemned the riots in Iran as well as the October terrorist attack at the Shah Cheragh holy shrine, saying measures taken by the Iranian officials to clarify developments should be taken into consideration.
The Chinese envoy expressed deep concern over mounting tensions and politicization at the Human Rights Council, saying that the HRC should act independently and work based on dialog and cooperation.
China’s representative also said that the human rights issue and the HRC should not turn into a tool to interfere in countries' domestic affairs.
The Chinese envoy raised the issue of sanctions against Iran, which he said are causing serious harm to people there. "We thank Iran for giving special attention to its domestic issues," the envoy said.