'World is disgusted by US'

2005-07-14 10:54

Tehran - Iran said on Thursday the United States is in no position to criticise human rights elsewhere, after President George W Bush wanted Tehran to free jailed journalist Akbar Ganji and let him seek medical care after a month-long hunger strike.

"The White House talks about the violations of human rights in Iran while the world is disgusted by the breaches of human rights carried out by US forces in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons, also by the wide-spread discriminations in the US and minorities rights' violations," newspapers quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Hamid Reza Asefi as saying.

White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said on Tuesday that Bush "calls on the government of Iran to release Mr Ganji immediately and unconditionally and to allow him access to medical assistance."

A statement added that Ganji had been jailed "for his political views" and that his hunger strike showed "he is willing to die for his right to express his opinion."

Ganji was sentenced in 2001 to six years over articles he wrote linking senior regime officials, including ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, to the serial murders of several intellectuals and writers.

He was re-imprisoned on June 11 after being granted a short period of leave on medical grounds. Since then, he has been on a hunger strike, only drinking water and munching sugar lumps.

Asefi also repeated his warning against US officials not to interfere in Iran's domestic affairs.

"The US officials have repeatedly seen the bitterness of interfering in Iran's internal affairs, as Iranians have responded negatively and decisively."

A group of around 100 people, among them prominent dissident academic Hashem Aghajari, held a small rally outside Tehran University Tuesday to call for the release of Ganji.

Ganji has so far has managed 33 days of hunger strike and according to his wife he is determined to continue until he is granted "unconditional release."

- AFP