TEHRAN – Head of the Iranian Judiciary's High Council for Human Rights, Ali Bagheri-Kani, has said Iranians will never forget or forgive the inhumane acts of some European countries, dismissing their push for human rights in Iran as hypocritical.

“We call on the Western countries, which support the Zionist and Saudi regimes, to take human rights into account in their human rights policies, and not to always use their illegitimate interests as a criterion for dealing with human beings,” Bagheri-Kani suggested.

Bagheri-Kani made the remarks during a meeting with Austrian Ambassador to Tehran Stefan Schulz, Mehr reported on Wednesday.

In the meeting, Bagheri-Kani and Schulz discussed the potential for bilateral cooperation in the legal and judicial fields.

Pointing to judicial innovations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bagheri-Kani voiced his country’s readiness to share its judicial experiences with the Austrian judiciary.

“The human rights approach of Western countries stems from their policies,” Iran’s human rights chief pointed out.

“However, the principles of human rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran determine the policies of the country, and in this regard, despite the pressures of those countries claiming human rights, Iran proudly supports the oppressed nations, including Palestine and Yemen,” he added.

Bagheri-Kani reiterated that the countries which have subjected the Iranian people to the most severe sanctions, without exception, and have seriously threatened their right to life and health as fundamental rights, cannot claim human rights.

Stefan Schulz, for his part, also expressed his country’s readiness to expand judicial cooperation with Iran. 

“Austria and Iran have an extraordinary and historic relationship based on mutual trust,” he said, adding, “No country has the potential for rapid economic growth like Iran in the post-corona era because no country like Iran has a young and active population with rich natural resources and the will to thrive.”

MH/PA