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Rights official slams double standards in global response to terrorism
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating victims of terrorism on Saturday, Nasser Seraj said thousands of Iranian citizens — including children, women, men and the elderly, as well as ordinary people, officials, scientists, military and law enforcement personnel, clerics, workers and students — have been killed in terrorist operations, Press TV reported.
Seraj said Iran has been a victim of terrorism for decades and has paid a heavy price as a result of numerous attacks.
“If a terrorist attack occurs in a European country, it immediately becomes a global issue. But when the victim is Iranian, reactions are sometimes very limited,” he said, adding that this is the double standard that must be addressed openly.
He stressed that human rights must be applied universally if they are genuinely universal, noting that the value of human life should not depend on a person’s nationality.
“An Iranian child, a Palestinian child, a European child, an African child and an Asian child are all children. An Iranian mother who loses her child experiences the same suffering as a mother anywhere else in the world,” he added.
Addressing the issue of state terrorism and the responsibility of governments, Seraj said the international fight against terrorism should not focus solely on non-state groups.