Iran's Statement Before The Human Rights Council 55th Session Item 4

At the outset allow me Mr. President to once again reiterate that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the mandate whose predictable product is this fabricated and distortive report. A mandate that is fundamentally flawed that lacks the consent of the concerned State and that is imposed upon the Council as part of an orchestrated campaign against my country could hardly produce a credible outcome.

Statement

By

Representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran

To the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva

Before

The Human Rights Council

55th Session

Item 4

Geneva, 18 March 2024

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

 

 

Thank you,

At the outset allow me Mr. President, to once again reiterate that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the mandate whose predictable product is this fabricated and distortive report. A mandate that is fundamentally flawed, that lacks the consent of the concerned State, and that is imposed upon the Council as part of an orchestrated campaign against my country, could hardly produce a credible outcome.

 

It would only feed into the political agenda of the main sponsoring actors to extend the mandate and keep the vicious circle rolling again and again. Those, who are side by side of the occupying power in Palestine complicit in the Genocide happening in Gaza, this is very telling in, and by itself! how credible is their claims, on their concern for the human rights.

 

Would this report contribute, if at all, to the promotion and protection of human rights? That’s not what the main sponsoring States care about, I'm afraid.

 

They know very well that the scheme they have created is essentially a recipe for confrontation, preventing the Council from any meaningful debate and discouraging the targeted State from any fruitful interaction.

 

The report is not factual, nor is it professional, let alone being reasonably fair and fairly balanced and reflective of Iran’s constant progress in promotion and protection of human rights as well as the challenges it has overcome. It is absolutely one-sided and misleading.

 

The report, in many respects, goes far beyond the confines of the code of conduct that any mandate, including those that are imposed on the Council through non-consensual resolutions, are supposed to observe legally and ethically. That’s the breach of HRC resolution on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate Holders of the Human Rights Council.

 

Mr. President,

          As a responsible State that cares for truth, each and every year shortly after receiving the draft we study the report and send our detailed comment on each and every claim and allegations. No surprise! Almost all of our comments are ignored; ‘almost none’ is therefore the share of the concerned State in the reports.

 

Accordingly, our comment to this report has been circulated among all permanent missions in Geneva and Office of the High Commissioner that is expected to be published in OHCHR website.

 

 Mr. President,

As it has been expressed by many in this room for years, the country specific resolution and the mandate it establishes, contradicts the principles of universality, objectivity and non-selectivity in the consideration of human rights issues. A monitoring mechanism on Iran's human rights is unwarranted and lacks any legitimate ground, is not fair and is not justified. It is inherently political and biased, and has proved to be counterproductive, too, by antagonizing Iran and by disseminating negative stereotyping about my country. 

 

We regret that the mandate-holder, a British national, has been obliged to act as pen holder for justifying the mandate imposed on the Council by the British government and other stakeholders.

 

Mr. President,

We thank all who oppose politicization of the Council.

 The main sponsors need to put an end to instrumentalization of the Council for political gains. Nevertheless, we remain resolute in supporting the cause of human rights.  Nothing will distract us from consolidating our institutions and upgrading our legislative, judicial, and administrative infrastructure to promote and protect human rights.

 

Iran will continue its valuable engagement with the relevant human rights mechanisms, including the UPR, Special Procedures, treaty bodies and the OHCHR. As a most recent example of that, Iran submitted its report to the Human Rights Committee under ICCPR and last November, with presence of a high level delegation from the Islamic republic of Iran engaged in two-day interactive dialogue with the members of the related committee.

 

We are determined to listen, to engage and to contribute.

 

  I Thank You.