Bahram Ghasemi was responding on Saturday to a Friday statement by the EU spokesperson who had said that the trend in Iran’s judiciary was disturbing.
Mr. Ghasemi believed that the EU statement was a telling example of interference with the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic. “Such statements are at best unconstructive since the EU will be engaged in human rights negotiations with Iran in the near future; human rights would not be respected through mere political statements and it is seen as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ judiciary system, which is an independent body even in the countries discussed,” he told the press.
“Any attempts to impose values of a certain country or region on communities with quite different lifestyle and traditions is a regression to an old paradigm of international relations; the EU should develop more exact understanding of Iran’s judiciary system to avoid unconventional remarks,” Ghasemi concluded.
“The recent Court verdict confirming the prison sentence of Narges Mohammadi sends a worrying signal about the human rights situation in the country. Freedom of expression and peaceful advocacy of human rights should be protected and not penalized. The EU reiterates its call on the Iranian authorities to respect its international human rights obligations,” was the EU statement triggered Ghasemi’s reaction.
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