TEHRAN – Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Ra’eisi called Sunday on conscientious lawyers across the world and those who consider themselves as human rights defenders to set up a mechanism to put real violators of human rights on trial.

Accusing the U.S. of being behind state terrorism in today’s world, Ra’eisi said, “We really believe that the world lawyers favor defending human rights, therefore, we ask them to call for putting the real violators of human rights on trial.”

He also pointed to the creation of the Daesh terrorist group by the U.S. government, saying those who created, organized, armed and supported Daesh and allowed the group to commit awful crimes in the region must be put on trial too.

Ra’eisi, who was addressing the human rights supreme council meeting, went on to say, “We never consider the human rights issue as a threat; instead, we consider it as an opportunity for voicing our performance (in this regard) and principles and in the meantime as a chance for raising our voices against those who declare themselves as the (only) defenders of human rights.”

“Thank God, defending human rights has been stipulated in the text of the Islamic Republic constitution and also has been pursued by the country’s officials,” the judiciary chief stated. 

Citing gross violations of human rights, the top judge said, “Targeting an Iranian passenger plane by the U.S. warship over the Persian Gulf in 1988 is blatant evidence of human rights violation. Massacre of innocent people in Yemen, Palestine, and other countries should be prosecuted (by a real international court) too.”  

An Iranian airliner was flying from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran to Dubai on July 3, 1988, with 290 passengers on board when it was shot down by the Aegis-class cruiser. All passengers, including innocent women and children, lost their lives on that tragic day that history and posterity will never forget.

MJ/PA