UN Special Rapporteur denounces defamatory Iranian press report

GENEVA, Switzerland (Kurdistan24) - A United Nations' expert on Monday condemned a report published by Iran, accusing her of conspiring with Saudi Arabia against Iran.

The Iranian News Agency (IRNA) alleged that Asma Jahangir was planning to undertake a visit to Saudi Arabia in order to defame the authorities in Tehran.

The report also suggested that she intended to carry out the mission for military interests, Jahangir said in a statement in which she condemned and vehemently denied the news item.

"I am appalled by this fabricated and malicious news story which is clearly aimed at compromising my integrity and independence, both of which are recognized internationally,” said Ms. Jahangir.

“Anyone who has a substantive disagreement with a Special Rapporteur’s assessment can always express their doubts."

"However, it is unacceptable for mandate holders to be subjected to defamation campaigns when discharging their duties, which are established by the United Nations Human Rights Council,” she stressed.

“These accusations, unfortunately, reinforce the assessment I made in my first report to the UN Human Rights Council about the climate of fear which exists in Iran, where similar methods are used to silence those expressing dissenting opinions,” she added.

The Special Rapporteur reiterated that campaigns of vilification would neither put her on the defensive nor compromise her independence in reporting the challenges faced by Iranians about their rights, dignity, and freedoms.

In her statement in March, she reported on the dire situation of human rights in Iran and condemned the disproportionate imprisonment and execution of Kurds.

In September, Iran slammed the decision by United Nations to appoint Asma Jahangir as special rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and called her out as a ‘Qadiani’, a derogatory term used for members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Sect.