Iran dismisses Canadian FM’s human rights allegations

TEHRAN,Oct.25(MNA) – Iranian MP Kazem Jalali on Tuesday criticized the remarks that Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird made against Iran on Monday. Addressing 1,400 lawmakers at the 127th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Quebec City, Baird criticized Iran for alleged human rights violations and religious intolerance. The Canadian foreign minister claimed that Baha’is and Christians in Iran are “consistently threatened with death and torture, simply for believing,” AFP reported. He also claimed that the Iranian government “remains the most significant threat to global peace and security” and accused Tehran of fomenting hatred against the Jewish people and supporting terrorist groups. Jalali, who is attending the assembly, said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized two points at the same time. One is that it complies with all international regulations as a signatory to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), and the second one is that it will not back down on its inalienable right under the NPT to access to peaceful nuclear technology.” “Unfortunately, the interference of certain major powers in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear issue is the main impediment to the resolution of the issue,” added Jalali, who is a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. Commenting on Baird’s claim that the rights of religious minorities are violated in Iran, the Iranian MP said, “In the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, respect for the rights of religious minorities has been stipulated since the victory of the revolution and is still there.” He added, “Baha’is in Iran are not a religious minority, rather they are a political sect that have no identity and are supported by certain powers to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.” According to the teachings of Islam, “the Islamic Republic of Iran have respect for all prophets and divine religions and is not opposed to Judaism and Christianity, but rather we are opposed to occupation and oppression, and we support freedom,” he added. “The Zionist regime is a perfect symbol of occupation and oppression in the current era,” Jalali said. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian MP criticized the fact that the Canadian government refused to issue visas to certain parliamentarians, noting, “The Canadian foreign minister speaks about the rights of minorities in Iran, while it (Canada) has ignored the absolute right of certain countries and representatives of their parliaments to attend the assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.” The 127th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and related meetings began on October 21 and close on October 26.