Iranian officials have accused former Maldivian foreign minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, subsequently appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, of failing to perform his duties adequately.
The Secretary General of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights labelled Dr Shaheed “more of an actor than a rapporteur”, suggesting that he had been acting like an inspector rather than a rapporteur according to the Tehran Times.
Mohammad Javad Larijani at the same time rejected Shaheed’s requests to visit the Islamic republic, stating: “I believe that the request is not serious.”
“I believe that in view of the measures taken by Ahmed Shaheed and the show of interviews launched by him, he is more of an actor than a rapporteur,” he added.
Dr Shaheed was appointed Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran in 2011 – the first time a Maldivian has held such a position.
The decision to establish a Special Rapporteur on Iran was made in 2011 after the deterioration of human rights in the country following the 2009 election.
The mandate for the position includes investigating human rights abuses and undertaking country visits in order to report back to the General Assembly.
The Tehran Times also quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, who also attacked Dr Shaheed.
“He has not acted fairly and has played the role of the opposition, and his measures have been outside the purview of a UN rapporteur,” the paper quoted Abbas Araqchi as saying.
The spokesman is reported to have said that Iran has no intention of allowing Shaheed into the country until his approach is “modified”.
Shaheed is scheduled to report his recent findings to the General Assembly in October.
In his last report in March, he informed the UN Human Rights Council that Iran’s human rights violations had increased in the past two years.
In a list of recommendations, he urged Iran to “extend its full cooperation to the country mandate-holder by engaging in a substantive and constructive dialogue and facilitating a visit the country.”
Iran’s official response to this report described it as “biased” and as disregarding the “realities on the ground” and “principles of transparency, fairness and impartiality”.
Speaking with the Canadian media last month, Dr Shaheed had expressed hope that the new administration of President Hasan Rohani would result in greater opportunities for dialogue.
“Skepticism borne out of previous experience should not make us blind to opportunities,” he told the New Canadian Media website.
Shaheed’s chief critic, Larijani, made headlines last year when he reportedly described homosexuality as a “disease”.
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I read the report on the "New Canadian Media" link .... interesting throught !
Mr. Shaheed mentioned the need for protection/granting of rights of all minorities (including religious, sexual oreintation, ethic etc)....in that article !
I wonder if anyone would ask the same question of thr rights for Maldivians who fits these minority groups / views...
I wonder if he would see Maldivians/Maldives as needing to these international principles of proctecting human rights.
OR would he be like most hypocrites from the Maldives who say one thing to the western media in English and talk about protecting Maldivian nationality by making sure all citizens are strict muslims and minorities (inlcuding relgious views/ sexual oreintation) are criminilaized when he talks in Dhivehi !!!
I just wonder !!! Oh what I am thinking just another normal day in life of a Hypocristani citizen !
In Irans assessment Shaheed could revive the Mollywood - Maldives film industry
Iranians shold stay in their caves if can not fit into the modern world.
@hypo
I have serious problems with the human rights situation in the Maldives, especially with regard to intolerance of minority rights. I do believe Maldives must embrace religious tolerance and not discriminate on the grounds of religion, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. I am responsible for the Maldives' acceptance on 21 September 2006 of both ICCPR and ICESR; and you will find that Maldives made no reservation to Article 26 of ICCPR. Nor are their any reservations entered on Article 2(1) of ICCPR and Article 2(2) of ICESCR. According to the jurisprudence of the Human Rights Committee, all three articles ensure equal protection for all people, regardless of sexual orientation. Therefore, Maldives has a legal obligation to guarantee Article 26 rights to all people in the Maldives, regardless of religion, gender or sexual orientation. Accordingly, I remain a firm critic of the Constitution of the Maldives, and I regret that no politician in the Maldives has been willing to uphold article 26 rights for all people-- even in 2013!
@Hypo He has been vocal in his support on Twitter and some of the comments on this website.
Shaheed is definitely an actor, a comical one at that. His main job seems to be reading Minivan news everyday (thoroughly) and commenting on some articles. The actual reports related to his job are being prepared by USA and sent to him by email, whereupon he signs it promptly and seals the document, puts it in a brown envelope, goes to post office and post it to UN office. Of course after this much work he is tired and calls wife to prepare him meals, and takes rest for the remainder of the day! typical day for the joker. 🙂
If Shaheed's reports are written by the "US" I wonder who wrote Jameel's thesis or who co-authored Abdulla Saeed's book. Questions, questions...
@Homosexual
Dhivehistanis think that everything is a conspiracy theory to destroy their 'ummah'.
Ahmed's comment that Iranians should stay in their caves if they cannot fit into the modern world is very amusing.....seeing that you short, fat and self opinionated people are the Neanderthals of South Asia.
Its the pot calling the kettle black.
No comments in tacky Maldivian English please.
People like Shaheed had no self integrity and they have sold tier self to for personal gain.
Shaeed sold his vote in the UN for few bucks.
Miss India, Maldives is still far better developed than India. Your backward society and so much cast system and you have the highest discrimination in the world.
You use people as slaves and lower class in India are treated by rich as dogs.
Kuribee dear, I did say no comments in tacky Maldivian English but you ignored my request.
Since when did a non secular state with a precarious economy based on tourism and tuna fishing, that is still flogging women in the twenty first century, suddenly become 'far better developed than India'?
Clearly your definition of 'development' is quite different to mine. As for the caste system, is your discriminatory attitude towards 'lesser' muslims.....shias, ahmadiyyas, sufis.....any different? Are there any shias, ahmadiyyas and sufis living in Maldives or have they been driven out by your dumb laws?.....like the christians and buddhists?
By the way I neither live in the Maldives nor do I work in the Maldives.....so don't drone on endlessly about that. There are millions of Indians like me who have lifestyle choices that you primitive islanders cannot afford.....so why don't you just belt up?
I´m not Indian but I realized "funny" behaviour by a lot of Maldivians:
They use people like slaves and lower class workers if they come from i.e. Bangladesh instead of doing sh***y jobs themselves.
I think kuribee forgets that Maldivians use Indians/Nepalis/Bandladeshis as slaves, too.
Or maybe he likes a slave labor force waiting on him hand and foot and wants to whitewash the truth.
Thanks for the info homosexual... I did not know he held such progressive views... but thanks for pointing it out ! (even if this is a recent conversion on his part...better later then never...)
I guess there is a glimmer of hope after all...
Bottom line whether people of Maldives like it or not.... respect/freedom/dignity for all (including minority religions, ethinicities, sexual orientations etc) will come to the shores of Maldives too... unless Maldives pulls a North Korea (the only way to stay in 1500 AD)....
Human Rights are Human Rights and same for people in all places.... Iran, Maldives or USA... (none of this cultural relativist BS...)
I am deeply greatful for Dr. Shaheed's input.
thanks for Mr. Shaheed's reports - thanks Dr. Shaheed for listening to witnesses - thanks to Mr. Shaheed's team for relentless efforts
Didn't Dr Shaheed go on BBC to defend Mr Gayoom, who was accused of human rights violations?
Dr Shaheed as an opportunist, not dissimilar to most politicians. He would not have got into bed with Gayoom had he truly believed in human rights. Or am I to believe that he was enlightened in the last 5 years?
And MissIndia, why call a whole nation of people "primitive islanders, short, fat and self opinionated people are the Neanderthals of South Asia". If this the view you have of countries smaller and poorer than yours then I do feel truly sorry for you.