Gharibabadi: The Special Rapporteur's reports did not reflect the realities of Iran's human rights

According to a report by Mizan's correspondent from Geneva, Dr. Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, during his speech at the 48th session of the UPR Working Group, which was dedicated to defending our country's fourth national report, pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches special importance to this mechanism and believes that as a "global forum" it has been able to provide a significant capacity for the protection and promotion of human rights through the establishment of a constructive and meaningful dialogue.
The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran's delegation to Geneva pointed out Iran's special view on human rights education and stated: Since human rights education strengthens and consolidates the foundations of respect and guarantee of fundamental rights and fundamental freedoms, the Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its serious determination in this regard in all its branches for the people, judges, lawyers, law enforcement forces, prison officers and government employees.
Stating that the Ministry of Education has included human rights issues in students' texts and curricula, he noted: At the university level, the specialization in human rights is offered as a field of study at the master's level.
Emphasizing the Islamic Republic of Iran's adherence to its international human rights obligations and substantive interaction with the United Nations human rights mechanisms, Gharibabadi mentioned the most important of these measures, which include:
- Presenting the fourth periodic report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its defense in October 2023;
- Presenting the twenty-seventh periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and its defense in August 2024;
- Presenting the fifth and sixth periodic reports of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in November 2023;
- The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights' visit to Tehran from February 3 to 5, 2024, and his talks and meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials and representatives of civil society;
- Concluding a memorandum of understanding for cooperation and interaction with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2024 and implementing its first phase in Geneva in December 2024 regarding death sentences and the concept of the most serious crimes with the presence of expert delegations from both sides;
- Visit of the Special Rapporteur on the negative effects of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 7 to 18 May 2022 and responses to 233 Special Procedures correspondence from 2020 to the end of 2023.
The head of the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Geneva, while respecting the recently appointed Special Rapporteur on Iran, considered the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Iran to be an act based on continuous political mobilization against Iran, which is led by a limited number of member states of the Human Rights Council.
He continued by reviewing the performance of the Special Rapporteurs: A close look at the performance and reports of the Special Rapporteurs on Iran since 2011 shows that their reports do not reflect the realities of human rights in Iran and are mainly based on incorrect information and unreliable sources with a biased approach and political motivations.
Regarding the so-called fact-finding mission, Gharibabadi stated that this mission was established as a result of lobbying and political deals by some Western governments, and added: " Since its inception, it has produced numerous unsubstantiated, biased, and politically motivated anti-Iran reports as well as positions that lack any sound legal foundation. The Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared over 50 well-documented and substantiated reports on matters related to the unrests in 2022, many of which were specifically drafted to respond to the claims made by the so-called Fact-Finding Mission. Regretfully, the mission has disregarded these reports and relied solely on sources, data, and reports provided by groups, individuals, and media outlets hostile to Iran. "
To view the full text of the speech by Dr. Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, at the 48th meeting of the UPR Working Group, click here. Dr.Gharibabadi at UPR