WANA (Jan 23) – In a meeting held in Geneva with countries under the monitoring mechanisms of the United Nations Human Rights framework, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized what he described as “double standards” and “unfair mechanisms” in the global human rights system.

 

The meeting, initiated by Iran, brought together nations subject to political human rights mechanisms. Gharibabadi, who led Iran’s delegation to the 48th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, expressed deep concern and strong criticism over selective approaches and the political exploitation of human rights.

 

He stated, “Countries that claim to champion human rights have imposed challenges on us, such as sanctions and support for terrorism, violating the rights of our people on a massive scale. Instead of being held accountable, they shamelessly accuse us of human rights violations and impose political mechanisms to exert further pressure.”

 

The Deputy Minister highlighted incidents in Gaza, where “tens of thousands of people have been killed,” while the so-called human rights advocates not only failed to take action against the Israeli regime but also supported it.

 

Gharibabadi described the imposition of political and unjust human rights mechanisms on developing nations as interference in their internal affairs and a violation of their sovereignty. He added, “These political actions come from countries that themselves are plagued by widespread human rights violations against their own people and other nations.”

 

Ambassadors from other nations attending the session thanked Iran for organizing the meeting. They voiced concerns over the misuse of human rights and described existing monitoring mechanisms as ineffective, selective, and politically driven.

 

Participants agreed to enhance coordination ahead of the upcoming Human Rights Council meeting in March. They pledged to present and pursue unified and collective positions to counter politically motivated approaches to human rights issues.