TEHRAN- Iran's top human rights official has slammed France's double standards on human rights, accusing the French government of "violently suppressing" the voice of opposition.

In a tweet on Monday, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, stated that France's harsh response to nonviolent protestors "proves the degree of its contempt for human rights."

He declared that the French government forcefully silences dissenters, asking, "Do double standards in human rights have taken a new turn or what?"

After a "racist" shooter killed 3 people in Paris on Friday, widespread protests began in the nation's capital. The shooting attack claimed three lives at a Kurdish cultural center and a nearby cafe. 

The incident prompted Kurdish organizations and their followers to take to the streets of Paris as well. Some of the protestors waved flags of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey and its Western allies consider to be a terrorist organization.

The French police detained a 69-year-old man who was just released from custody while awaiting trial for a saber assault on a migrant camp in the city last year, according to the authorities.

Iran calls on French authorities to uphold protestors' rights

In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani also advised French law enforcement forces to show caution while dealing with nonviolent protestors.

He said that French government has a history of using force against protestors and has adopted discriminatory policies toward immigrants and minorities.

Between November 2018 and January 2019, at least 12 people died during the French security forces’ crackdown on the Yellow Vest protests against the living and economic conditions across the European country.