Iran protests to Ireland over EU criticism of human rights record

IRAN has made an official complaint to the Irish embassy in Tehran following EU criticism of the country’s human rights record.

An Irish diplomat in the capital was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry by senior government officials on Sunday.

Ireland was called in as the current holder of the presidency of the European Union.

The Irish embassy in Tehran said deputy head of mission Aidan Cronin attended a meeting with the ministry’s legal affairs director Mohammad Mehdi Akhondzadeh.

Mr Akhondzadeh described EU criticism of the Islamic republic’s human rights record as “irresponsible and interventionist”.

The official news agency IRNA said Mr Akhondzadeh gave Mr Cronin a rundown of “the Islamic republic’s progress in the domain of human rights”.

Ireland’s ambassador to Iran, Thomas Bolster, is currently out of the country.

“Iran wishes the European Union to have a realistic view of Iran’s human rights activities,” Mr Akhondzadeh was quoted as saying by IRNA.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the meeting took place in the context of regular contacts between the EU and the Government of Iran.

“This discussion focused on the statement made by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 24 March. The discussion was conducted in a businesslike and constructive atmosphere.”

At the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on Thursday, the EU warned it had seen little progress in Iran’s human rights dossier, which Brussels has effectively made a precondition to improved trade ties.

“We regret that overall we see little improvement in the human rights situation in the country,” Ireland’s envoy Mary Whelan told the Commission on behalf of the EU presidency.

Ms Whelan underlined that violations of human rights “continue to be widespread” in Iran, including torture, disappearances after arrests, arbitrary detention and political and religious repression.