The Leader's View of Human Rights

Part one: Human rights in Islam

The Islamic criterion for human rights
The basis of human rights within the framework of the Islamic Republic
Human rights guaranteed in Islam

Women's rights in Islam

   Political rights of women in Islam
   The role of women in society
   Injustice to women within the family
   Women's basic problem
   Making a balance between human rights of men and women

Human rights, a pretext for the arrogant powers to oppose Islam
Violence and non-violence

Part two: Human rights in the west

The dismal track record of the west in human rights
Making profits under the pretext of human rights
Women from a western point of view
Values of the American society
False claims of supporting human rights
Europe, the greatest human rights violator
The English type of human rights

Part three: Human rights in Iran

Human rights within the framework of the Islamic Republic

Freedom of the press in the Islamic Republic

   The necessity of raising public awareness in the Islamic Republic
   The press in the Islamic Republic of Iran
   Freedom of the press in capitalist societies
   The precondition for increasing the number free newspapers
   The most important duty of the press in the Islamic Republic
   The necessity of supervising the press

Avoidance of a passive stance on human rights
Exchanging human rights watchdogs between Iran and Europe

The Leader's View of Human Rights

Part one: Human rights in Islam

The Islamic criterion for human rights

Islam is a religion that promotes mercy and compassion, supports humanity and human values, and promotes brotherhood. "A community that does not claim the rights of its weak people from its strong people will not be sacred." This is the Islamic criterion for human rights. In a society, someone who does not have power and wealth should be able to claim their rights from powerful and wealthy people without any problems. Such a society is an Islamic society. This is the message of Islam. Today it is this message that is attracting people throughout the world. Which part of the world is being ruled like this? Which democracy, which liberalism, and which so-called "human rights" movement can present such a criterion and move towards fulfilling it? The modern world is doing the opposite of this Islamic criterion.

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The basis of human rights within the framework of the Islamic Republic

The Islamic Republic has presented a novel idea to the modern world, an idea that is based on religion. Before the Islamic Revolution, the world and materialistic analyses and ideologies used to separate modernism from divine and spiritual thoughts. Modernism and religious thoughts were considered as polar opposites. Any religious and spiritual idea – be it Islamic or non-Islamic – used to be considered as belonging to the past, as something reactionary. Anything that was said to be new and modern was assumed to be opposed to religious and spiritual ideas. This was an erroneous interpretation of religion.

On the contrary, today the kind of social justice that is being promoted by the Islamic Republic and the kind of human rights that was introduced by Islam are far more sophisticated than what is being promoted by the world of democracy. The kind of social justice that is being promoted by the Islamic Republic of Iran is more advanced than the social justice promoted by the so-called world of socialism. Human rights and individual freedoms in Iran are more sophisticated than what the so-called world of democracy is promoting.

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Human rights guaranteed in Islam

In order to establish democracy and human rights, the world of Islam does not need the faulty western prescription that has been repeatedly invalidated. Democracy and human rights are the most prominent messages of Islam.

Islam safeguards human rights and human dignity, guarantees morality and virtue, and promotes peace and security. The most unacceptable and unfair allegation has been leveled against Islam by those who accuse Islam of being opposed to human rights, civilization, and security. And they use this accusation against Muslim nations in order to justify their oppressive thirst for power.

In his famous letter to Malek al-Ashtar, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) advises him to treat people fairly. He says, "People are of two kinds: They are either your religious brothers or your fellow human being." [Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 331] Therefore, Islam was not the yardstick for the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) when it came to defending the oppressed and claiming human rights. He believed these rights had to be granted to both Muslims and non-Muslims. See how lofty a principle the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) established in history. Some people claim to support human rights across the world – a downright lie, pure hypocrisy. They do not respect human rights in any part of the world. They do not observe human rights even in their own country, let alone across the world! Genuine human rights were defined and practiced by the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.).

From an Islamic point of view, even criminals have their own rights. For instance, no one should curse a person who is sentenced to death. A person who has received a death sentence should only be executed – being cursed is not part of his punishment. Cursing such a person is a kind of injustice to him, and it should be prevented. From an Islamic perspective, even death-row criminals have to be treated fairly, let alone prisoners, outlaws, and suspects. In all cases, human rights and the rights that Allah the Exalted has granted to all human beings should be observed.

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Women's rights in Islam

Political rights of women in Islam

In Islam, bay'ah [oath of allegiance to a leader], personal ownership, and presence in political and social arenas are among the rights that have been preserved for women. "O Prophet, when believing women come to you giving you a pledge that they will not associate anything with Allah, and will not steal, and will not commit fornication, and will not kill their children, and will not bring a calumny which they have forged of themselves, and will not disobey you in what is good, accept their pledge." [The Holy Quran, 6: 12] Women used to pledge allegiance to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). Women were not forced to accept men's decision and their oath of allegiance to the Prophet (s.w.a.). He allowed women to pledge allegiance to him. Women had a choice in accepting his government and his political and social system. In this regard, westerners are 1300 years behind Islam.

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The role of women in society

If our country manages to familiarize women with Islamic teachings, our national progress and prosperity will be increased by several times. If women enter an area with a sense of responsibility, the rate of progress in that area will be increased by several times. When women enter an arena, it means their families will enter the same arena. This is not true of men.

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Injustice to women within the family

Preventing women from acquiring knowledge or continuing their education is an injustice to them. It is an injustice if women's conditions and workload prevent them from engaging in moral education and improving their knowledge and religious faith. It is an injustice if women are not allowed to use their wealth the way they want. It is an injustice if women are forced to marry a certain person – that is, if they are not allowed to have a role in choosing their husband and if their decision and wishes are ignored. It is an injustice if women are not given the opportunity to have an emotional relationship with their children – no matter if they live with their husband or they are divorced. It is an injustice if women who have a talent – for instance, scientific, creative, political, or social talent – are not given the opportunity to utilize their talent.

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Women's basic problem

Women's basic problem is not whether they have a job or not. The basic problem is the lack of sense of peace and security. The basic problem is that women do not feel they can nurture their talents and avoid unfair treatment in society and in the family environment.

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Making a balance between human rights of men and women

Islam is a proponent of human perfection. From an Islamic point of view, men and women are not at all different in this regard. Humanity consists of both men and women. In terms of their human and divine qualities, men and women are not different from one another.

Through defending women's rights, Islam seeks to prevent oppression to women. Islam wants to prevent men from dominating women. In a family, there are principles and rights that have to be observed. Men and women have their own rights. These rights have been specified in a scrupulously fair manner, and there is a balance between them.

Human morality, providing an opportunity for cultivating human talents, and fulfilling the responsibilities entrusted to men and women are the things that are important to Islam. Naturally, in order to help men and women fulfill their responsibilities, it is necessary to be familiar with their nature. Islam is well aware of the nature of men and women. From an Islamic perspective, the important point is that there should be a balance. That is to say, there should be justice between men and women. The existence of equal rights for men and women is what Islam is concerned with. However, men and women may have different Islamic rights in some cases, and this is in line with the fact that the natural tendencies of men are different from those of women in some cases. Therefore, the largest number of facts about the nature of men and women can be found in Islamic teachings.

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Human rights, a pretext for the arrogant powers to oppose Islam

The enemies across the world that oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran – including the arrogant powers, which are headed by America – are after fighting Islam. These enemies are in fact opposed to Islam because they know Islam is an obstacle to plunderers. They are opposed to Islam because they believe Islam cut off the hands of those exploiting the resources of this country. They are opposed to Islam, and they portray it as anti-human rights. Their goal is to reduce the attraction of Islam. This is while Islam is the standard-bearer of human rights. What does "human rights" mean? Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Are these displaced Palestinians not human beings? Do human rights not apply to them? The most prominent article of "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" – which they claim to support – says that no one will be subjected to "arbitrary interference with their home", and that everybody has a right to "freedom of residence". So why did they force their way into Palestinian houses and make the owners leave? Is Palestine not the homeland of the Palestinians? Is this what human rights mean? Are Palestinians not human beings? Everyone can detect the machinations and monstrous lies of the so-called supporters of human rights.

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Violence and non-violence

Of course sometimes it is necessary to use force. Other times it is necessary to avoid using force. Some of the so-called supporters of human rights and opponents of violence in the world are committing the most extreme forms of violence and the most unacceptable forms of murder, yet they claim to be opposed to violence in the end! It is not right to think of violence and non-violence as absolute concepts. The fact of the situation is that sometimes one should deal with the problems in a firm manner and use force if necessary. There are other times that one should behave in a mild and respectful manner. Violence and non-violence are both necessary.

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Part two: Human rights in the west

The dismal track record of the west in human rights

In spite of their dismal record in human rights, today westerners are trying to teach human rights and women's rights to the world of Islam! They are calling the world of Islam to peace! They are the ones who caused two world wars with a twenty-year interval and killed millions of people. They are the ones who developed an atomic bomb and used it to kill thousands of people. They are the ones who committed those bloody crimes in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Their crimes will not sink into oblivion. For instance, no one will forget the crimes of the English in India or the crimes of the French in Algeria. They are the ones who manufactured and used chemical weapons. And they armed people like Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons, but now they have assigned themselves the task of fighting chemical weapons in the world! This is like assigning a big smuggler the head of an anti-smuggling department.

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Making profits under the pretext of human rights

Today the propaganda machines that are affiliated to the Zionists and America are deceiving humanity. In fact, these propaganda machines mostly belong to international plundering capitalists. They pretend that they support democracy, but they are definitely lying. They claim to support human rights, but their claims are sheer lies. Actually, these international cartels, companies, and trusts do not even think about the rights of nations and human rights. They have no respect at all for such rights.

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Women from a western point of view

Until recently, women did not have any independent financial rights in European and western countries. In spite of their numerous claims, western women did not have the right to freely use their wealth until the early twentieth century. It was their husbands who were entitled to make use of their wealth. That is to say, when a woman got married, the ownership of her wealth and properties would pass on to her husband. She was not allowed to own her wealth. It was in the early part of the twentieth century that women were given some ownership rights. That is to say, they used to deprive women of these most basic human rights. However, they focused their efforts and attention on the issues that were polar opposites of genuine Islamic values. That is why we emphasize hijab so frequently. The western world which has humiliated women in different eras should answer for its actions.

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Values of the American society

What are "American values"? Americans have introduced some principles as American values, and they claim these principles are universal. Their principles include freedom, human dignity, freedom of thought, human rights, and other such things. Are these principles truly American? Is the modern American society characterized by these principles? Are these the characteristics of the current American system of government? Was it not the American government that massacred Native Americans? They used to kidnap millions of Africans from their homeland and send them to America. It was the American government and influential Americans that enslaved millions of young African boys and girls and treated them very harshly for years. One of the most tragic works in the modern world is "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which is about slavery in America. This work has remained popular for many years. These are the realities about America and the American government. This is the image that the American government has presented to the people of the world, not freedom and equality. What equality are you talking about? You still discriminate against African Americans. Even today being a descendant of Native Americans is considered a weak point for those who apply for a job in America. They say American principles are universal. Who are you to determine universal principles for humanity? They reason that their principles are universal and that they should use an atomic bomb to subdue those who do not believe in their principles. What kind of logic is this? Is this the way a free nation would reason? Is this an appropriate logic for a government that believes in human dignity? Is this the way you lie to humanity?

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False claims of supporting human rights

Is there anyone who does not know the slogans shouted by the White House in support of democracy and human rights are nothing but blatant lies?

For years, the American regime has carried out the largest number of assassinations. It has organized the largest number of hostilities against independent Asian, African, and South American governments. It has supported the most reactionary coup d'état leaders and their imposed governments. It has shipped the largest number of lethal weapons to different parts of the world. It has trained the most dangerous terrorists and sent them out into the world. It has massacred the largest number of civilians. It has deprived the most oppressed people in the world – that is, the Palestinian people – of their human rights. It has provided the most brutal regime in the world – namely, the Zionist regime – with more support than any other government. It kept the oppressive and corrupt Pahlavi regime in power for several decades. In political, economic, and military arenas, it has imposed the most appalling forms of oppression and treachery on the Iranian nation. But now the American government is accusing our independent, populist, and free government of supporting terrorism, violating human rights, and selling or manufacturing weapons!

Since the year 1945, the American government has played a role in overthrowing 40 independent governments that were not dependent on America, taking military action in more than 20 cases! In all of these cases, America's interference has always led to massacres and great tragedies. Of course they have been successful in some cases and unsuccessful in others. The atomic bombings of Japan at the end of World War II and the bloody Vietnam War are two examples of their failure. They also overthrew governments in Chile and Iran – "The 28 Mordad Coup" – as well as other countries. All of these events were caused by great financial institutions, American tycoons, power thirsty parties, influential Zionist groups, and the individuals in charge who were morally and intellectually corrupt. They have a very disgraceful track record. These things are not insignificant. Americans do not care about human life, destruction of national wealth, justice, and human tragedies. None of these things are considered an obstacle in the way of Americans. Of course they are using their numerous propaganda machines and media facilities in order to save face. They try to cover up the tragedies they have caused through their media. They use their propaganda machines to portray themselves as supporters of peace, democracy, and human rights.

During the presidency of George Bush Sr., gross injustice against African Americans sparked off great uprisings in some states of America. And they used the army to put down the uprisings because the police could not deal with the situation. During the term of the next US president, more than eighty members of the Davidian sect – a Christian sect that is opposed to American policies – were burnt to death. The police warned them to get out of the house in which they had assembled, but they did not pay attention to the police warnings. There were women and children among them, and they were all burnt to death. The American government did not care! This is what they mean by respect for human rights! During the term of George Bush Jr., besides the bombs that they had dropped on civilians and the tragedies they had caused in the cities of Afghanistan, they opened fire on a large number of prisoners in a prison in the northern part of Afghanistan and massacred them. The news of this massacre rippled through the world, but their news empires would not let such news remain available to people. American violations of human rights inside and outside America are more than any other country. But they accuse the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic as well as other countries of violating human rights! The flag of human rights is being carried by the greatest violators of human rights in the world.

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Europe, the greatest human rights violator

During the past century, European governments have violated human rights more than any other governments. This is true of previous centuries as well. Europeans caused two world wars in the past one hundred years. They caused two world wars in a short period of time. These two world wars date back to several decades ago, but even in modern times, European countries built chemical weapons facilities in Iraq and caused those tragedies. It was European governments that provided Iraq with the facilities to develop a nuclear bomb, a bomb that would have threatened the entire region. It is western countries that justify the daily crimes committed by Israel.

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The English type of human rights

The English have tried to establish an international reputation for being lenient. People have seen the English type of leniency in Iraq! Entering people's homes with a gun, taking their security away, scaring little children to tears, and responding to civilians protests with bullets – this is the English type of democracy, forgiveness, philanthropy, and respect for human rights! People should learn a lesson when seeing these events.

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Part three: Human rights in Iran

Human rights within the framework of the Islamic Republic

Human rights will be established under Islam and an Islamic government. Islam says, "What you besides Him serve are only names that you and your forefathers coined, with no authority of God. To God belongs all judgement and command, and He did give you no command to worship anything but Him." [The Holy Quran, 12: 40] This divine order rejects all kinds of oppressive government. No one is entitled to rule unless he enjoys the established qualifications and the people recognize him.

Islam is a proponent of human rights. In no other religion is man considered to enjoy such dignity. "Respect for man" is an Islamic principle and a defining characteristic of Islam. Human rights can be defended under Islam. Islam has defended human rights through its rules – all kinds of Islamic rules, including judicial, punitive, and civil rules as well as the rules concerning public rights and political issues. Islam defends genuine human rights, not the kind of rights that the west has deceptively promoted as human rights.

Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of violating human rights. They are talking about the Islamic rules that are practiced by the Islamic Republic. The Holy Quran says, "And these are the limits of Allah, and whoever goes beyond the limits of Allah, he indeed does injustice to his own soul." [The Holy Quran, 65: 1] Those who overstep divine limits have been threatened with divine punishment in the Quran.

The Islamic Republic is a proponent of human rights, and it will not wait for western countries to define human rights for it or teach it how to respect human rights. The Islamic Republic is a proponent of human rights because human rights are part of Islamic rules. The Islamic Republic considers western definitions as lies and deception. We have seen how they support women's rights and human rights! Currently, the flag of "human rights" and "women's rights" is being carried by the arrogant powers, international plunderers, those who trample on the rights of other nations, and those who act against the interests of weak nations and occupy their lands! Obviously, Muslim nations cannot help ignoring them.

This is an honor for the brilliant Islamic rules, which have enabled Muslim women to prove themselves so courageously and independently in a world that is inundated with misleading propaganda. These are the blessings of Islam. The Islamic and revolutionary education that Muslim women receive is a source of honor for the Islamic Republic.

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Freedom of the press in the Islamic Republic

The necessity of raising public awareness in the Islamic Republic

A populist government – which, by its very nature, includes a role for the people – cannot dispense with public awareness. Such a government must raise public awareness. It must encourage critical thinking among its people and provide them with the necessary and useful information. This is the way our government works: The more public awareness is raised, the more the Islamic Republic benefits. Therefore, the Islamic Republic needs to raise public awareness.

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The press in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The press are not luxury or a formality for the Islamic Republic. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative improvement of the press is one of the most essential things that has to be done by our government. I believe that the press are indispensable and absolutely necessary for our society as well as any other community that is after a good life. There are three responsibilities that have to be fulfilled by the press: Criticism and supervision, provision of transparent and sincere information, and presentation and exchange of opinions in society.

If a society loses its free and thriving press or its free writers, it will lose many other things as well. Freedom of the press is an indicator and indeed a cause of a nation's development. That is to say, development and freedom of a nation can bring about freedom of the press, which can in turn bring about more development for the nation. Freedom of expression is an indisputable right of the people and the press. There is no doubt in this regard, and this is one of the principles that have been explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. There are of course other realities and values that must not be ignored for the sake of freedom of the press or freedom of expression. It is quite an art to secure freedom and understand the truth at the same time. It is quite an art to have freedom of the press and avoid the problems at the same time. This is what we must aim for.

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Freedom of the press in capitalist societies

It is not possible to find a newspaper in the US or Europe which does not belong to capitalists! Freedom of a newspaper implies freedom of the class of people to whom the newspaper belongs. But is there any newspaper that belongs to the lower or middle classes there? All newspapers belong to influential cartels, trusts, and capitalists, which means it is the capitalists who have freedom of expression, who have the means to defame or praise whoever they want, and who can mold public opinion the way they like! This is not freedom.

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The precondition for increasing the number free newspapers

Public trust is the main asset of any media, which is achieved through sincerity and respect for the values and beliefs of the majority of the people as well as the government. The more the number of the newspapers, the better provided that the press raise public awareness the way it has been specified in the Constitution, do not act against national interests, and write in favor of the public and Islam.

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The most important duty of the press in the Islamic Republic

The cultural responsibility is the most important responsibility of the press in the Islamic Republic – that is to say, introducing and preserving the values and ideals of this revolutionary nation and raising public awareness. In the current situation, especially after the complete failure of Marxism, the western arrogant powers focused mainly on cultural methods to spread their political and heretic domination over revolutionary nations. Appropriate measures against the cultural invasion of the west on various fronts must be the first priority for our national media.

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The necessity of supervising the press

I always provide the press and the media with many recommendations because I want them to deal with our national issues in a responsible fashion. We must not act like an enemy agent and facilitate what they want to achieve. We must not allow our media and press to promote the ideas that they are trying to sell in the cultural atmosphere of our society. That is a grave mistake. It is great treachery if it is done on purpose and it is a grave mistake if it is done unintentionally. We must be extremely watchful and vigilant.

As a result, it is an obligation and a necessity to supervise the press. This has explicitly been mentioned in the Constitution, the press laws, and other legislation. There is no doubt that national interests and goals cannot be promoted in the absence of supervision over the press. Some people wrongly assume that public opinion is something that they can manipulate the way they want. Public opinion is not a guinea pig to be experimented with. Wrong analyses, libel, and lies would shake the faith and beliefs of our people and hurt their feelings. It is immoral to do such things. Therefore, supervision is necessary to prevent these things. This is a duty.

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Avoidance of a passive stance on human rights

In terms of cultural and political issues, today the arrogant powers are mainly focused on making non-western governments adopt a passive stance in the face of western thoughts. They cause uproar about the issue of women's rights, human rights, democracy, and liberation movements in order to make their opponents adopt a passive stance. When they cause uproar, the greatest mistake is to speak in a way to please them, which is the same as adopting a passive stance.

Those who do not have any respect for genuine human rights have turned human rights into a stick to beat up other people! America has become the leading promoter of human rights in the modern world! Before the Iran-Iraq war broke out, America believed the Iraqi government was aiding terror states. In 1361 and 1362 (solar hijri), the valorous Iranian soldiers managed to bring the Iraqi enemies to their knees. They managed to push them away from our borders, forcing the Ba'ath Party to resort to chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction. That is to say, the enemy was forced to commit war crimes. At that time, the American government felt that it should support the Iraqi camp so that the Ba'ath Party could fulfill its treacherous role against the Islamic Republic. While Iraq was using chemical weapons against us, they removed Iraq from the list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism"! That is how they support human rights!

The arrogant powers – America and other similar governments – are the greatest causes of human rights violations throughout the world. In spite of all these things, they claim to support human rights. They use human rights as a stick to beat up the governments that want to confront them! It is totally wrong for the members of their opposing camps to speak in a way to please them. This kind of policy means being passive against the enemy.

The same is true of the issue of women. By Allah's grace, Iranian women managed to re-establish their identy after the Islamic Republic was formed. They managed to enter different arenas and show off the greatness of Muslim women's spirit. What is surprising is that westerners write in detail about violations of women's rights in the Islamic Republic and broadcast negative propaganda in this regard. It is the western world that should try to make its perspectives similar to those of the Islamic Republic. They should revise their wrong views of women's rights, human rights, freedom, and democracy. The Iranian nation has shown that it is not at all prepared to budge an inch against the enemy's greed and unreasonable demands. The Iranian people have shown that they are not prepared to give up their Islamic principles just to satisfy the enemy. This is a good attitude.

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Exchanging human rights watchdogs between Iran and Europe

If there are any concerns about human rights – we have our own concerns about human rights in European countries – watchdogs should be sent to both Iran and Europe to observe the status of human rights. They can send their representatives to our country, and we will send our representatives to Europe. These representatives can observe the status of human rights in prisons and courtrooms. They can make sure if governments observe human rights in social and civil matters. This is a reasonable suggestion, and it is appropriate for Europeans to accept it. Sending watchdogs will facilitate relations between the Islamic Republic and the west and will address the concerns about human rights in Iran and Europe.

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