TEHRAN – Iran’s top human rights official on Sunday ruled out alleged discrimination against ethnic groups, saying the Islamic Republic observes the rights of all citizens regardless of their ethnicity.
Ali Baqeri Kani, secretary of the High Council for Human Rights, made the remarks in response to a statement by UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in which she had criticized Iran’s code-of-conduct toward minorities.
Ethnic groups in Iran are not minority, rather they are citizens of “the whole Iran”, Baqeri Kani asserted, according to IRNA.
Writing on his Twitter account, he said, "Ms. Commissioner, Iranian ethnic groups are not 'minority', they are 'the whole Iran'."
Baqeri Kani suggested if she had been able to visit Iran, she would have seen the realities.
"If politics didn't prevent you to take a trip to Iran and you were allowed to closely see Iran's realities, you would notice how Lurs, Kurds, Turks, Turkmens, Arabs, Baluchs, Fars people, etc. shout at the aliens: 'We are Iranians'," Iran’s human rights chief pointed out.
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has claimed that a coordinated campaign is underway in Iran targeting minorities in Sistan-Balouchestan and Khuzestan provinces.
Iran is famous in West Asia for its ethnic and religious diversity. It is home to a large Jewish community. However, it is a fact that in certain border areas people are not economically in a good situation in comparison to citizens in other parts of the country.
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