TEHRAN- The secretary of Iranian High Council for Human Rights in the UN has strongly condemned Javaid Rehman, the former UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, for his association with the leader of Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO). 

As reported by IRNA, in response to Rehman's participation and statements at a gathering of the MKO in Paris, which significantly harmed the credibility and reputation of the United Nations human rights mechanisms, Kazem Gharib Abadi addressed a letter to the president of the Human Rights Council, Omar Zinger, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denouncing the former special rapporteur's involvement in such events.

The announcement from this terrorist organization, which has been implicated in the deaths of 17,000 innocent Iranians and has committed crimes that transcend both time and borders, indicated that the meeting coincided with what was purported to be Rehman's final anti-Iran report as the United Nations special rapporteur.

Gharib Abadi asserted that Rehman's report was filled with falsehoods and unfounded allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, aimed at appeasing the MKO terrorist group and acknowledging their financial backing after his term as special rapporteur.

He pointed out, “The Human Rights Headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter dated July 10, 2024, provided a detailed response to the accusations and warned that the creation of such unlawful and overreaching reports by a United Nations expert, ostensibly to support a terrorist organization, could jeopardize the integrity of international human rights institutions and the United Nations framework.”

Gharib Abadi highlighted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has persistently informed all United Nations human rights officials and member states of the Human Rights Council about Javaid Rehman’s apparent links to the MKO terrorist organization through various reports. Unfortunately, these concerns and criticisms have largely been ignored despite the ongoing controversies.

“The release of memorial photographs depicting Javaid Rehman alongside the leader of an armed terrorist group has further questioned the integrity and objectivity of his numerous reports against the Islamic Republic of Iran during his time at the United Nations,” he added.

Gharib Abadi pointed out that the collaboration, complicity, and acquisition of data from dissident groups and individuals, particularly the MKO terrorist organization, are not unique to Javaid Rehman. 

He added, “The previous special rapporteurs have also participated in similar activities to varying degrees, which have considerably diminished the credibility of their reports and the effectiveness of international human rights institutions and frameworks.”

The Mujahedin Khalq Organization, often known as the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), is an Iranian opposition group founded in 1965 to overthrow the Iranian government, guided by Marxist ideology.

The MKO has a documented history of engaging in violent and terrorist actions directed at the Iranian government and its representatives during the imposed war in the 1980s. 

Additionally, it has faced allegations of executing terrorist operations against civilians within Iran. The organization was classified as a terrorist group by the United States until 2012 and continues to be listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union.

Javaid Rehman is a distinguished British-Pakistani legal scholar, author, and academic. He holds the position of Professor of Islamic Law and International Law at Brunel University London. In 2018, he served as the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.