Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said that Iran is completely aware of its national and international commitments on human rights.
The Islamic Republic has always had well and broad cooperated with international bodies in this field, Afkham said, Iran's state IRINN TV reported March 14.
The spokeswoman said that Iran has taken important steps to improve all aspects of its citizens' rights including civil rights, minority rights and women's rights.
She further said that the Islamic Republic will continue its efforts on the issue.
The Iranian official made the remarks while reacting to a new report by the United Nations special rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed on Iran's situation of human rights.
On March 12, Shaheed issued a report on the Iranian government's human rights record over the past year, which included the highest execution rate in over a decade and continued crackdowns on journalists and religious minorities.
The report which will be submitted to the UN Council on Human Rights on March 16, reads that Iran executed 753 people in 2014 (the highest total recorded in the past 12 years). The number was up from 687 in 2013.
The report also highlighted the continued repression of journalists, noting numerous instances of reporters being arrested for supposed "national security" crimes.
The Iranian spokeswoman called the report unfair and unscientific and said it doesn't reflect the true and is written "unilaterally."
Afkham also said Shaheed violated the rules on duties of the Human Rights Council workers.
On June 17, 2011, the UN Human Rights Council named Shaheed, the former Maldivian Foreign Minister as its human rights investigator on Iran.
Tehran insists that the appointment of a UN special rapporteur on Iran's human rights is a selective, politically motivated, and unacceptable move.
The UN special rapporteur has not been allowed to enter Iran, and much of his information is drawn from interviews with Iranians outside of the country.
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