The Secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights strongly criticized Javaid Rehman's presence alongside the leader of a terrorist armed group in a letter to the President of the Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy for International Affairs of the Judiciary and the Secretary of the High Council for Human Rights, in a letter to Omar Zniber, President of the UN Human Rights Council, and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, criticized the presence and speech of Javaid Rehman, the former so-called Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, at a meeting of the MEK terrorist group in Paris. He pointed out the severely negative and destructive effects of this on the credibility and standing of the UN human rights mechanisms and experts in the eyes of the Iranian and global public opinion. Gharibabadi wrote: “According to this terrorist group, whose hands are stained with the blood of 17,000 innocent Iranian citizens and whose crimes transcend temporal and geographical boundaries, this meeting was held in honor of the alleged final report by Javaid Rehman in his role as the UN Special Rapporteur. In reality, this report was a baseless indictment filled with lies and unfounded accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, written to fulfill the demands of the MEK terrorist group as a way for him to repay them for their financial support at the end of his tenure as Special Rapporteur.”
Gharibabadi further noted that the letter No. 9000/10585/4 dated July 10, 2024, with a 200-page annex, which is also reflected on the Human Rights Council's website, provided a clarifying response to this indictment and warned that the drafting of such illegal reports beyond the mandate by a UN expert, with the intent of serving a terrorist group that has an extensive record of widespread and organized crimes—including armed warfare, terrorism, mass murder, hostage-taking, torture against civilians, persecution of ordinary people opposed to the group’s ideology, sexual assaults against women and children, and, in fact, crimes against humanity—would seriously undermine the credibility of the UN's human rights institutions and arrangements.
Reminding that the Islamic Republic of Iran had repeatedly, and in numerous reports, highlighted Javaid Rehman's overt alignment with the MEK terrorist group to UN human rights officials and member states of the Human Rights Council, he continued, “despite numerous scandals, these protests and criticisms fell on deaf ears. Naturally, the responsibility for ignoring the illegal actions and violations of the code of conduct by Special Procedures mandate holders, under the Human Rights Council's Resolution 5/2, lies with the Office of the High Commissioner and the Human Rights Council. Now that photos of Javaid Rehman alongside the leader of a terrorist armed group responsible for crimes against humanity have been published, the bias and lack of credibility in his numerous reports against the Islamic Republic of Iran during his tenure at the UN have become even more evident.”
The Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters also acknowledged that the alignment, complicity, and reliance of the Special Rapporteur's data and information on hostile groups and individuals, particularly the MEK terrorist group, was not limited to Javaid Rehman alone. Previous Special Rapporteurs have more or less followed the same pattern, causing serious damage to their credibility and, more importantly, to the credibility of international human rights institutions and mechanisms. A review of the reports by Special Rapporteurs from the beginning indicates a consistent algorithm and pattern in collecting the content needed to prepare anti-Iranian reports—reports that are prepared to provide a tool for political pressure and to justify the imposition of unilateral coercive measures by certain countries, based on the false accusations of opponents, primarily the MEK.
He emphasized that, in addition to the Rapporteur, the root of this problem should also be sought in the creation of a political mechanism for this reporting, which has been shaped by the political interests and agendas of certain countries. The inevitable outcome of such actions is the sacrifice of human rights and the further diminishing of hopes in the UN's human rights mechanisms and institutions. Undoubtedly, the consistent practice of these countries in whitewashing terrorism, supporting terrorist elements, and using human rights mechanisms as tools have led to the impunity of perpetrators, lack of reparations for victims, evasion of responsibility by criminals, the spread of hate, and the reversal of roles between the accused and the victim.
Gharibabadi further stated: “Iran's High Council for Human Rights expresses its deep regret over the inhumane strategy of some countries in exploiting terrorism and creating illegitimate political human rights mechanisms. You, as senior UN human rights officials, must stand against this incorrect pattern of behavior and, in accordance with your duties and responsibilities, act with greater sensitivity and awareness towards the unprofessional and illegal actions of Human Rights Council mandate holders.”
The Secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights also noted: “If attention had been paid to the correspondences and protests of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding Mr. Javaid Rehman's alignment with the MEK terrorist group, there would have been no preparation of an arbitrary report in support of this group in the final days of his mission, nor would we now witness his presence alongside the leader of this terrorist group. It should also be noted that Mr. Rehman's departure from the reporting mechanism should not, in any way, grant him immunity from being held accountable for these misconducts. Similarly, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council are obligated to hold him accountable. The Iranian people are awaiting your actions, and it is expected that you not allow the credibility of international human rights mechanisms to be further tarnished and destroyed.