Baku, Azerbaijan, April 11
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Senior Iranian official heavily criticized the UK foreign ministry's 2013 human rights report.
On April 10, the UK foreign secretary William Hague launched "Human Rights and Democracy: The 2013 Foreign & Commonwealth Report" which highlights human rights concerns in 28 key countries, including Iran.
Commenting on the report, Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said that it is "unrealistic, repetitive and spiteful," the country's Mehr news agency reported on April 11.
Iranian spokeswoman also said that some countries are abusing human right issue for their political purposes.
Afkham went on to say that Iran will not accept "imposed double standards in the issue."
She also accused the UK administration of violating human rights, claiming that "the rights of the minorities, Muslims and migrants are being repeatedly violated in the UK."
The European Parliament also expressed concern over the human rights violations in Iran, in a resolution on the EU strategy towards Iran, which passed on April 3.
The resolution criticizes human rights abuses in Iran and calls for a more active role of the EU in addressing the problems related to human rights in the country and supporting civil society.
It also advises EU members to focus on human rights in their ties with the Islamic republic.