TEHRAN – Tehran has strongly protested the UN Human Rights Council resolution against the Islamic Republic and the extension of the mission of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran for another year.

The mandate of Ahmed Shaheed, the UN human rights investigator for Iran, was renewed at a meeting of the Human Rights Council on Thursday.

The proposal was made by Sweden and backed by the United States and the European Union.

Russia, China, Qatar, Bangladesh, and Cuba voted against the anti-Iran resolution.

Iran’s Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani had previously said that the reports prepared by Shaheed on human rights situation in Iran are “replete with lies” and called him a “liar”. 

Mohammad Reza Sajjadi, Iran’s representative to the Geneva-based council, said on Thursday that the extension of special rapporteur’s mission goes against the principles and goals set for an impartial, non-political, professional, and objective investigation of human rights situation in member countries.

Sajjadi added that the continuation of such an approach will undermine the credibility of the council.

Sajjadi also stated that the decision to adopt a resolution against Iran by the U.S. and the European Union countries was meant to divert attention from human rights violations in these countries and cover up human rights tragedies in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iraq, Afghanistan, and some other parts of the world.