Tuesday, October 25th 2016

Rafsanjani with anti-Israel tirade in meeting with Austria’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Kopf

Kopf downplayed Iran’s sad execution record in scandalous meeting

In contradiction to all statements of the UN and human rights organizations, Austria’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Karlheinz Kopf downplayed Iran’s disastrous human rights situation and sad execution record during his trip to Iran. To Austria’s Press Agency APA Kopf said he did not come to Iran to 'moralize' and instead criticized the United States. In the days ahead and during Kopf’s visit alone 32 people have been executed, says "Iran Human Rights". In 2015, more than 1000 people were executed according to numbers provided by Amnesty International and the UN. Executions are conducted at much higher rates than under Rouhani’s predecessor Ahmadinejad.

According to Iranian regime media, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani received Austria’s Deputy Parliament Speaker with a classic anti-Semitic notion and declared regarding Israel, that the "fabricated Zionist regime" is to blame for terrorism in the region.

Said Stephan Grigat, STOP THE BOMB’s Research Director: "Bad enough that Kopf pays his respect to the anti-Semitic ayatollahs and does not even say a word against the Iranian regime’s threats to wipe out Israel, which are also repeated under Rouhani. But when Kopf now demands the removal of all still existing sanctions against the Iranian regime for human rights abuses and the financing of terrorism - well, this really can only be understood as the ultimate cozying up to Iran’s brutal Islamist regime."