Iran Not Afraid of Visits by UN Human Rights Rapporteur

(FNA)- Secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council Mohammad Javad Larijani said the country is not afraid of visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, but it has a problem with such a visit by Ahmed Shaheed due to various reasons.

"We are certainly not afraid of Ahmed Shaheed's presence in Iran," Larijani said, addressing a conference on human rights in Tehran on Sunday.

Larijani pointed to the six problems that Iran has with Ahmed Shaheed, and said, "Our first problem is that they should explain why (the UN wants to send) a special rapporteur, what has happened in Iran that they have appointed a special rapporteur and why this rapporteur is needed for Iran and not for other countries."

The secretary of Iran's Human Rights Council referred to the second problem as Ahmed Shaheed's biasedness and his lack of impartiality as a UN rapporteur. "We do not want Shaheed to be our friend, we only say that he should not take political stances against Iran."

Larijani pointed to the third problem as the method of survey used by Shaheed, and said, "Whenever we ask about his method, he does not say a word."

Pointing to the fourth problem, he said Shaheed is fabricating documents against Iran.

Larijani referred to the fifth problem as supporting terrorism, and said, "Ahmed Shaheed calls terrorist suspects as advocates of human rights … while supporting terrorism is liable to international prosecution."

And, he said, the sixth problem with Ahmed Shaheed is that he has insulted Islam on numerous occasions.

Earlier this month, Larijani blasted Ahmed Shaheed for his support for the terrorist groups acting against Tehran, and said the UN rapporteur has turned into an actor providing service to the opposition media.

“Unfortunately, Ahmed Shaheed has become a media actor who acts for those media which air propaganda against the Islamic Republic, while this is against the approved protocols,” Larijani told FNA at the time.

“Ahmed Shaheed supports terrorism extensively,” he said, explaining that he has provided Iran with the name of four people claiming that they are due to be executed for their human rights activities.

“This is while these four individuals have been sentenced to death or other penalties for their membership in PJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan), they have killed people and their houses had turned into place for storing weapons,” Larijani said.

“It is a shame for the human rights rapporteur to label terrorists as human rights advocates,” he underlined.

PJAK, a militant Kurdish separatist group with bases in the mountainous regions of Northern Iraq, has been carrying out numerous attacks in Western Iran, Southern Turkey and the Northeastern parts of Syria where Kurdish populations live.

The separatist group has been fighting to establish an autonomous state, or possibly a new world country, in the area after separating Kurdish regions from Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

Iranian intelligence and security officials have repeatedly complained that Washington provides military support and logistical aids for such anti-Iran terrorist groups.

Also earlier this month, Larijani said that Tehran has banned visits by Ahmed Shaheed because he has only parroted the allegations made by Iran’s enemies, but Tehran will welcome independent rapporteurs if they prove no to be pursuing a biased attitude towards the Islamic Republic.

"Tehran is opposed to any visit by Ahmed Shaheed due to his invalid reports against the Islamic Republic," Larijani said.

Larijani, however, welcomed visit of the independent rapporteurs to Iran.

"Ahmed Shaheed has become a puppet at the hands of Iran's enemies to spread anti-Iranian accusations," he added.