Judiciary official defends Iran's human rights record
Los Angeles Times / Raed Rafei
01-Mar-2009 (3 comments)

A ranking Iranian judiciary official defended his country's human rights record Saturday, lashing out at a recent State Department report that condemned the Islamic Republic's record on upholding the rights of minorities and dissidents. "Claims by America and some European countries on the violation of human rights by certain states are not aimed at defending human rights, and they are rather used to exert political pressure on Third World and developing countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran," Ebrahim Raisi, first deputy of Iran's judiciary branch, told journalists in Tehran, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

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News Goffer

to digeh saaket!

by News Goffer on Sun Mar 01, 2009 04:33 AM PST

It's O.K. for politicians to lie.

It's not O.K. for them to believe their own lies.



Balatarin
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News Goffer

Abarmard

by News Goffer on Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:04 AM PST

How are you?  Of course human rights are a political issue.  Much like any other thing on a state's record, human rights can and should be discussed by others, many time to political benefit.

I think Mr. Raeesi should be the last one to claim such outrage over the charges against Iran.  He and several other mullahs are responsible for establising and maintaining the heinous ways in which the Iranian judiciary has treated Iranians over the past 30 years.  Aside from unfair laws such as laws pertaining to women's rights and Qesas, the real problem with justice in Iran lies within the Judiciary.

Laws are used to persecute and punish dissidents.  Large scale embezzlers walk away while ordinary people owing small amounts of money are arrested and kept for long periods of time.  Political prisoners are tortured and forced into issuing confessions.  Laws pertaining to early release and furlough of political prisoners are not observed and many of them have had to serve their entire unfair sentences.  People "disappear" without a trace and months later it turns out that they have been in the custody of the judiciary without a subpoaena or clear charges.

The list could go on and on, Abarmard.  IRI's human rights track record is awful and I know that you are not trying to defend it here.

I think if Mr. Raeesi and his cohorts really worry about how human rights are used as a political tool against them, they should start observing human rights more and doing it more carefully.

Before I sign out, let's not forget Iran's human rights record will never be set straight until IRI stops harassing Bahais and trying to raze Khavaran Cemetery, both testaments to IRI's inability to "tolerate" opposing and differing ideas, a hallmark of a lack of observation of human rights in any country.


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Abarmard

If Human Rights was not a political issue

by Abarmard on Mon Mar 02, 2009 09:39 AM PST

He would be wrong. Since the world treats the Human Rights issue as a political issue to push their agenda forward, it has become relative concept rather than a factual logic.

In this the blame goes to everywhere and all the governments.


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