Mohammad Javad Larijanis: Ahmad Shaheed’s Report is Superficial
The secretary of Iran’s judiciary human rights headquarters described the recent report of the UN special rapporteur as “biased, superficial and unsubstantiated.” Larijanis also said the world should thank Iran for executing drug traffickers.
Mohammad Javad Larijanis, secretary of Iran’s judiciary human rights headquarters, described Ahmad Shaheed’s latest report as “biased and superficial” in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting news agency.
This legal and judicial official called the Islamic Republic a standard-bearer in fighting terrorism and said: “We have a clear policy on this matter and do not tolerate terrorism. Those who become involved in terrorism are naturally convicted to various sentences in our courts.”
According to Ahmad Shaheed’s latest report, the UN special rapporteur for examining the human rights situation in Iran, which was released on Thursday (20 Esfand / 10 March), 966 people were executed in Iran last year. Approximately half of those executed had committed crimes related to narcotics, which are considered “corruption on earth” under Iranian law.
However, Larijanis said about the execution of drug traffickers: “The world should reward us for fighting these criminals because we are essentially bearing the cost on behalf of the West.”
This comes as Iranian officials have recently discussed the need to reconsider the law on executing drug traffickers.
“Qisas [retributive justice] creates rights for citizens”
The secretary of the judiciary human rights headquarters also said about the law of qisas: “They should understand qisas; it is an enlightened ruling; qisas is not execution but rather the establishment of rights for the entitled citizen.”
Larijanis commented on the part of Ahmad Shaheed’s report concerning the issuing of death sentences for those identified as “enemies of God,” saying: “In this report, the issue of mohareb [one who wages war against God] and mofsedan fil-arz [those who corrupt the earth], which exist in our law, have been used as a pretext and they have said that Iran’s judicial authority, based on this law, considers those who wage war against God. What does this have to do with you? This section belongs to our legal structure.”
Read more: Javad Larijanis: Death sentences warrant reconsideration
Ahmad Shaheed criticized in part of his report the issuance of death sentences for the crime of insulting the Prophet, and Larijanis said in this regard that Ahmad Shaheed cannot take the place of a marja [source of emulation] and this matter is not his concern.
Larijanis continued: “This is in our law and the right to enforce this law has been confirmed according to all approved documents at the United Nations; should we ask Ahmad Shaheed for a fatwa in implementing our law?”
The secretary of the judiciary human rights headquarters concluded from this that Ahmad Shaheed’s report is “superficial” and “unsubstantiated.”
“Iran is the largest democracy in West Asia”
Mohammad Javad Larijanis in another part of his remarks considered Iran the largest democracy in West Asia and said “in this region, no country’s civil and political structure resembles ours in terms of democratic mechanisms.”
In concluding his remarks, Larijanis invited Ahmad Shaheed to take a course on “Islamic Human Rights” and then engage in reporting.
