Iran raps West on HR misuse

IRAN: A senior Iranian official has criticized the West for politicizing human rights issues, insisting that human rights regulations must be protected against such manipulation. The Head of Iran's Supreme Council for Human Rights Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who is in Pretoria for a week-long visit, made the remark in a meeting with South African officials on the promotion of human rights at the international stage, a Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday.

"We believe human rights should be shielded from misuse and politicization, as well as the manipulation of human rights mechanism in imposing unilateral values on the world, "Larijani told reporters in a joint press conference with South African Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim. When asked about Iran's application of the death penalty, the Iranian top human rights official argued that the vast majority of death sentences applies to drug-traffickers that smuggle narcotics from Afghanistan to Western European countries via Iran. "The number of executions is high because 74 percent of that is about the execution of drug traffickers with high quantity of opium," noted Larijani, insisting that one of the simplest ways to reduce the number of executions is for the West to join Iran in its efforts to combat drug-trafficking.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian official stated that the main objective for his visit was to broaden and consolidate good ties with South Africa, which is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

South African deputy foreign minister, for his part, defended Iran's inalienable right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, saying his country will not be pressured and will pursue an independent foreign policy regarding Tehran's nuclear programme. Press TV