The Iranian official charged with dealing with the human rights issue internationally says the Islamic Republic has barred Ahmad Shaheed, the UN human rights official dealing with Iran, from entering the country for six specific reasons.
In a speech Sunday, those six points were listed one-by-one by Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council, who is also the brother of Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chairman Sadeq Larijani.
Larijani said the country is not afraid of visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, but it has a problem with any visits by Shaheed.
“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,” Larijani said.
Actually, there are special rapporteurs for 10 countries: Burundi, Cambodia, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestine, Somalia and Sudan as well as Iran.
Larijani said the second problem is Ahmed Shaheed’s bias and lack of impartiality. “We do not want Shaheed to be our friend; we only say that he should not take political stances against Iran.”
Larijani said the third problem was the method of survey used by Shaheed, commenting, “Whenever we ask about his method, he does not say a word.” Shaheed’s reports, however, always discuss his methodology.
The fourth problem, Larijani said, is that Shaheed fabricates documents against Iran. He didn’t cite any specific examples. Shaheed’s “documents” are chiefly his periodic reports, which generally summarize interviews he has conducted.
Larijani said the fifth problem was that Shaheed supports terrorism, which appeared to refer to Shaheed’s interviews over the years with members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq. “Ahmed Shaheed calls terrorist suspects advocates of human rights,” Larijani asserted, “while supporting terrorism is liable to international prosecution.”
Larijani has periodically cited testimony given to him about prison conditions by Mojahedin members, but he has never supported or defended the organization itself.
The sixth problem with Shaheed, said Larijani, is that he has insulted Islam on numerous occasions. He did not cite any examples. Shaheed is a Muslim from the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean. He was once the country’s foreign minister.
Larijani said, “Unfortunately, Ahmed Shaheed has become a media actor who acts for those media that air propaganda against the Islamic Republic, while this is against the approved protocols.”
As evidence that Shaheed supports terrorism, Larijani said Shaheed once provided Iran the names of four people he said were 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 PEJAK [the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan]. They have killed people and their houses had been turned into places for storing weapons,” Larijani said. “It is a shame for the human rights rapporteur to label terrorists as human rights advocates.”
Larijani said, “Ahmed Shaheed has become a puppet in the hands of Iran’s enemies to spread anti-Iranian accusations.”