UNGA Resolution on Iran Human Rights Lacks Legal Effect
IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK
TEHRAN – Iran has condemned a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic, saying the document lacks legal status.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday that the countries behind the resolution, drafted by Canada, have a record of gross and systematic rights violations, especially through military interventions and weapons sales to dictatorial and authoritarian regimes.
The remarks came one day after the General Assembly adopted draft resolution II, dubbed “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” by 82 votes in favor, 30 against and 64 abstentions.
The resolution expressed “serious concern” about what it called “the alarmingly high frequency of death penalty use” in Iran and urged the country “to address the poor conditions of prisons; release women human rights defenders imprisoned for exercising their rights; end rights violations against persons belonging to ethnic, linguistic or other minorities; and ensure free presidential elections in 2021.”
Khatibzadeh said that the countries behind the resolution have, under the influence of American bullying, turned a blind eye to the US economic terrorism against the Iranian nation and turned into Washington’s accomplices instead of condemning its illegal and inhumane sanctions.
Iran has condemned a UN resolution, drafted and proposed by Canada, as a rehash of “groundless” claims about the Islamic Republic’s human rights situation, slamming the “hypocrisy” of the “notorious” group of countries that voted for it.
He also advised Canada and other key proponents of the anti-Iran resolution to stop their “meddlesome and immoral approach” towards independent nations.
“Such non-constructive measures do not help promote the human rights situation globally but rather perpetuate negative stereotypes and political labeling against independent countries,” Khatibzadeh said.
“We condemn the move by the Canadian government and other founders of this resolution, which is a clear example of abusing the transcendent concepts and values of human rights meant to advance short-sighted political motives; [We believe such resolutions] have no legal effect.”
The spokesman also stressed that the repetition of fake reports by these countries against the Iranian people would only further discredit their claims of advocating human rights.
Last month, Canada proposed a similar anti-Iran resolution, which was approved at the UNGA Third Committee with 79 ‘yes’ votes.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson had already mentioned a list of the governments initiating and sponsoring resolutions against Iran, and had denounced Canada’s shameful move to rally “a group of notorious governments in the human rights sphere”, including the U.S. regime, the Zionist regime, and Bahrain for training Iranian people in human rights.
Khatibzadeh had also called on the Canadian officials to focus their attention on correcting their anti-human performance inside and outside Canada, stop the Canadian regime’s systematic policy of genocide of native Canadian people, and be held accountable for aiding and abetting the anti-human crimes committed by the Saudi and Israeli regimes against people of Yemen and Palestine.
