Foreign Ministry: EU Document Does Not Contribute to Advancing Human Rights Discourse

On Saturday, October 9, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry reacted to the approval of the European Union's strategic document regarding Iran, stating that "such stances are questionable and unconstructive and do not contribute to advancing the human rights discourse." According to Mehr News Agency, Bahram Qasemi, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, pointed out that "there are specific points in this resolution regarding the human rights situation in Iran that do not match existing realities." The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee approved a draft document on Thursday, October 7, titled "Roadmap for Normalizing EU Relations with Iran After the JCPOA." The draft was approved with 37 votes in favor and 15 against, and it is set to be voted on in the next European Parliament session. The document expresses concern over the fact that Iran has the highest per capita execution rate in the world and calls on Iran to respect its commitments based on international covenants on economic, social, and cultural rights of citizens. Additionally, the document states that "Iran's revolutionary legacy and its constitution as an Islamic state should not be seen as an obstacle to finding common ground regarding democracy and human rights." This draft was prepared by Richard Howitt, a member of the EU's legislative branch from the UK Labour Party and a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, the party leader. Bahram Qasemi continued his reaction to this document on Saturday, stating: "Although there are positive and hopeful points in this resolution that could help expand relations between Iran and the European Union and open a new horizon in bilateral relations, there are specific points in this resolution regarding the human rights situation in Iran that do not match existing realities and are partly influenced by the malicious propaganda of anti-Islamic Republic circles." He added: "While human rights discussions between Iran and the European Union are set to take place soon, such stances are questionable and unconstructive and do not help advance the human rights discourse, and they fuel suspicions of interference in our internal affairs." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also announced that no date has yet been set for human rights discussions between Iran and Europe. Recently, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, also criticized the number of executions in Iran in his recent report, stating that most of these executions follow very short trials that do not meet international standards. Bahram Qasemi reacted to this report on October 6, stating that the report is "unjust," "lacks credibility," and has "fundamental flaws."