Angry Iran tells EU to look at itself in the mirror on rights

"The European Union should learn from the chance of talks with an Islamic state with a rich cultural history and civilization."

Hamid Reza Asefi, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman

Iran back at the EU yesterday, saying the 25-member bloc could do with lessons on human rights itself rather than criticize the Islamic republic.

The angry comments from foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi came the day after the EU issued a stinging statement on Iran's human-rights record in the wake of a fourth round of dialogue on the issue between the two sides.

Asefi the state news agency IRNA that the criticism "indicates the Union's inability to accept transparent dialogue."

He also pointed to what he said was the "ignoring of the rights of minorities, discrimination against Muslims, Islamophobia and non-observance of the refugee rights" in the EU.

"The European Union should learn from the chance of talks with an Islamic state with a rich cultural history and civilization," he asserted.

"During the talks, the EU's lack of attention to repeated human-rights violations in the occupied Palestinian lands and Iraq was highly criticized," he added, saying Iran had also taken issue with the "politicizing of the issue of human rights."

On Sunday the EU said it was "gravely concerned" at widespread abuses despite several rounds of talks with Tehran.

"The European Union continues to be gravely concerned at the continued and numerous violations of human rights in Iran," the statement said.

"These include unequal rights for women; the use of torture in prisons and other places of detention, and a culture of impunity for perpetrators," it said.

It also pointed to "the lack of an independent judiciary, the use of the death penalty, as well as reports of the continued use of amputations and other cruel punishments; a continuing campaign against journalists and others who seek to exercise their freedom of opinion and expression, a flawed electoral process which impedes the democratic choice of the Iranian people, and discrimination on religious grounds."