Iran has slammed a United Nations report criticizing human rights in the Islamic republic.
Ahmed Shaheed, the UN's special rapporteur on Iran, raised concerns about the extremely high rate of executions, especially for juvenile offenders, in the country.
In his report to the UN Human Rights Council on March 14, Shaheed said "with at least 16 juvenile offenders reportedly hanged in 2014-15, Iran remains one of a few countries still resorting to this practice despite a strict prohibition against it under international law."
But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said in a statement on March 16 that Shaheed's report was "biased and pursues to achieve political purposes."
Iran is "committed to its obligations with regards to promotion of human rights in compliance with the constitution and religious values" and is preparing a charter on citizens’ rights, he added.
Shaheed noted that individuals accused of national security and drug-related crimes in Iran are often deprived of the most basic due process and fair trial rights.