HCHR_Kazem Gharibabadi, the Vice President of the Judiciary for International Affairs and the Secretary General of the High Council for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a special news interview program, referring to the 8th Islamic Human Rights Award, stated: “The purpose of the Islamic Human Rights Award is to be able to raise the voice of the oppressed Muslims whose rights are violated. We can make it known to the world. Therefore, this award is given to victims of human rights violations and victims' advocates”.
Gharibabadi further explained “about the reason for choosing the issue of Palestine in the 8th Islamic Human Rights Award: For nearly 10 months, we have been witnessing the widespread crimes of the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip and recently in Rafah. We are witnessing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Two thirds of the victims are women and children and this regime continues its crimes”.
He continued: “The countries claiming human rights not only did not put any pressure on the Zionist regime, but they also supported it. International human rights mechanisms were also very ineffective. We did not even witness an emergency meeting in the UN Human Rights Council”.
Gharibabadi added: “three months ago we chose the subject of this round of Human Rights Award as the issue of “Palestine”. 42 candidates from 17 countries and 5 continents were introduced to us in different ways and the selection committee finally chose 6 people”.
He added: “The opposition to the crimes of the Zionist regime by people in different countries has become widespread. Now Palestine has turned from an Islamic issue into a global issue. Until today, the Zionist regime has never been so isolated and hated by public opinion”.
Regarding the legal aspects of the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh and Iran's response, Gharibabadi noted: “This regime does not understand international law and human rights, and we should talk to him in his own language. However, this terrorist act of assassinating Martyr Haniyeh is a violation of the principle of the right to life as the most important human right. This is considered an illegal and an extrajudicial act. You cannot take someone's life arbitrarily. Also, this criminal act is contrary to the principle of non-use of force”.
He further noted: “Another thing is that this terrorist act violates the principle of respect for the sovereignty of countries. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country with its own sovereignty and is independent. The fourth point is the violation of the immunity of the country's leaders. Martyr Haniyeh was one of the Palestinian leaders. The Zionist regime has completely violated these 4 principles”.
The Secretary General of the HCHR stated: “Here we are facing the United Nations Charter. The actions of the Zionist regime are systematic and continuous actions. The Zionist regime has martyred some of our military advisers in Syria. It has assassinated some of our scientists and has been involved in some vandalism. Here, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to provide an appropriate answer. It depends on the government decision what kind of response it should be, but any response of Iran to this criminal act of terrorism is fully in accordance with international law and within the framework of the United Nations Charter, and is the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
In the end, he said: “The crime committed by the occupiers shows their helplessness. The killing of innocent women and children in Gaza and resorting to terror is not a sign of strength, but rather shows their failure and weakness. The Zionist regime has not achieved any of its strategic goals in the Gaza Strip. We hope that soon we will see the freedom of Palestine from the clutches of the occupying regime of Israel”.