The head of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights says Iran has filed lawsuits in international courts against European companies that provided chemical materials to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, who used chemical weapons against Iranians in the 1980s war.

Ali Baqeri-Kani made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting with families of the martyrs of the Sardasht chemical bombing during a visit to West Azerbaijan Province.

Baqeri-Kani said the Judiciary has filed lawsuits for more than 200 of the victims of Saddam’s chemical attacks, and final verdicts have been issued for 70 of the cases.

He lamented that the same countries which “brutally” butchered the Iranian people through their “chemical weapons” are now “arrogantly” violating the rights of the Iranian people through their “economic and political” tools, making a reference to their use of sanctions and international institutions against Iran.
“The governments that are exerting the highest amount of pressure and the most extensive sanctions against the Iranian people today are the ones that provided Saddam with chemical weapons, prevented international action against the Ba'athist regime and prevented media coverage of Saddam’s crime,” he stated.
He further said the same Western countries that suffocated civilians in Sardasht neighborhoods now claim to champion human rights in Geneva fortresses.

The official went on to invite Western rulers to hold their next so-called human rights meeting in Sardasht so that they closely see the effects of their atrocities against the Iranian people.