Iran has launched an attack on Canada at the United Nations,
claiming Ottawa is in no position to censure the Islamic republic over its
human rights record.
Canada is due to propose a motion at the General Assembly next week that
calls on members to pass a resolution demanding Iran enact reforms,
including bans on torture and execution by stoning.
Now Iranian officials have combed through the results of numerous human
rights inquiries in Canada to come up with evidence of human rights abuses
across the country.
. . .
"Some may think that Canada may have reached a level of human rights
record that allows it to point its finger at others in order to criticize
their human rights records," Mostafa Alaei, director of the department of
human rights at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told a General Assembly
committee on Wednesday.
"We took a cursory look at the UN documents, and the reports of NGOs such
as Amnesty International, to verify this perception," he said.
"Astonishingly, we found otherwise. We have obtained piles of credible and
reliable information suggesting that the violation of human rights in
Canada ... are at some stages, alarming."
. . .
Canadian officials point out UN and other inquiries sometimes appear more
critical of democratic societies than closed ones because information is
more freely available.
Although Mr. Alaei mentioned Amnesty International in support of his
criticism of Canada, the human rights organization says it does not grade
countries and Iran has stepped over a line by focusing on Canada.
"The idea of a government using the fact other governments are criticized
for their human rights record as an excuse to ... continue to violate the
rights of their own citizens is absolutely unacceptable," said John
Tackaberry, spokesman for Amnesty International Canada.
"There are human rights violations in Canada that have caused Amnesty
International concern, but there aren't systematic violations."
Mr. Alaei spoke after Gilbert Laurin, Canada's deputy ambassador to the
UN, addressed the same committee on Canada's assessment of world respect
for human rights.
"In Iran ... we have seen no credible evidence of any improvement of the
overall human rights situation and the protection of political and
democratic freedoms," Mr. Laurin said.
"In fact we note ... that repression of political dissent has increased
and that executions in the absence of internationally recognized
safeguards, including executions of children, are ongoing."
