TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran�s top human rights official slammed certain Western countries for adopting double-standard approaches towards the issue of human rights, saying they are using the issue as a �tactic� to reach their political objectives.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary general of Iranian High Council for Human Rights, said given the Western governments� behavior inside and outside their countries, it has become crystal clear that �human rights (issue) is only a tactic for them�.

He further rejected the Westerners� claims about human rights situation in Iran, saying that the Islamic Republic�s record on human rights is one of the best records among the world�s countries.

�Such record is one of the best whether in terms of democracy or in terms of the judicial system,� the official added.

In his most recent report, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, has once again made sweeping allegations against Iran, raising concerns about the rate of executions and flaws in the administration of justice in Iran.

Iran has dismissed several times the reports by Shaheed, saying that they did not reflect the realities on the ground in the country.

By Tasnim News Agency