Iran to France over Attacking Protests: Respect Human Rights

By Staff, Agencies

Secretary General of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi has censured France's double standards vis-à-vis human rights, slamming Paris’ crackdown on protesters as it is “violently silencing” the voice of dissent.

“France’s heavy-handed crackdown on peaceful protesters proves the extent of its disregard for human rights,” Gharibabadi said in a post on his Twitter account.

He further accused the French government of violently silencing the voice of dissent, asking, “Double standards vis-à-vis human rights have taken a new turn or what?”

Widespread protests started in the French capital on Friday in the wake of a deadly shooting in Paris by a “racist” gunman. The shooting attack claimed three lives at a Kurdish cultural center and a nearby café.

It also drew Kurdish groups and their supporters onto the streets of Paris, with some of the protesters waving flags of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK], which is viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

Iran has urged the French government to respect the rights of protesters.

In a Saturday statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani urged the French law enforcement forces to exercise self-restraint while dealing with peaceful protesters.