TEHRAN- Iran's top human rights official has slammed the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran for hailing a Swedish court's conviction against Iranian national Hamid Nouri.

Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy chief of the Iranian Judiciary and secretary of the High Council for Human Rights, called Javid Rehman's words very upsetting in a statement issued on Friday.

“It is extremely disappointing that Javid Rehman has chosen to publicly support arbitrary detention and sham trial of an Iranian citizen instead of calling out the Swedish authorities and holding them to account for the gross violations of fundamental human rights of the victim,” he remarked. 

Rehman praised the conviction of Nouri, a former Iranian judicial officer who was sentenced to life in prison by a Swedish court on Thursday for his alleged role in the death of imprisoned dissidents in the late 1980s.

Nouri has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly two years after being arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019.

He has categorically denied all claims leveled against him at the request of the MEK terrorist organization.

“The process and verdict in Sweden constitute a landmark and important leap forward in the pursuit of truth and justice for a dark chapter in Iranian history. It is also a clear signal that denial, despite substantive evidence, and impunity can no longer be tolerated,” Rehman said.

“I urge other States to take on similar investigation and prosecution of serious human rights violations in Iran using principles of universal jurisdiction. There is a serious accountability gap for past and present gross violations of human rights law, and national courts in other States play a fundamental role in filling that gap,” he added. 

Gharibabadi went on to underline that “Rehman’s press statement in support of a grave injustice was yet another indication of his inherent inclination to use his UK-sponsored mandate for a self-aggrandizing campaign to please Iran's adversaries at the cost of sacrificing the basic principles of human rights.”

Gharibabadi raised grave concern over egregious human rights breaches committed by Swedish authorities against Nouri in a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights last week.

“I request you to take all necessary measures to hold Sweden accountable and to prevent further violations and to secure the release of Mr. Nouri,” he said in a letter to Michelle Bachelet.

On Thursday, Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, called the Swedish court's decision "unacceptable," adding it was based on baseless charges made by the MEK terrorist organization.

Kanaani added this is a politicized decision made based on baseless and fabricated pretensions against Iran, its courts, and Nouri as well.