Iranian human rights groups deny getting US financial aid

Iran’s Defenders of Human Rights Centre denied Fars news agency’s allegations that the Centre is in receipt of financial aid from the US and announced that they intend to sue the news agency for libel.

Fars news agency issued a report yesterday titled “Revolutionary Guards’ cyber war against subversive groups” claiming that the Defender of Human Rights Centre is amongst the recipients of a $200 million US aid to Islamic Republic opponents.

Tehran’s Revolutionary Court issued a statement on Saturday reporting the arrest of 30 members of “the US cyber army” many of whom according to the statement are human rights activists.

Defenders of Human Rights Centre condemns the report and describes it as “accusations without proof or reason with the objective of prosecuting human rights activists and civil groups.”

Human Rights Activists Collective in Iran and Human Rights Reporters Committee are also mentioned in the Fars news agency report as US-linked groups and recipients of US financial aid.

The Human Rights Collective has also denied the allegations and announced that such accusations will not deter them from continuing their human rights efforts.

Defenders of Human Rights Centre announced that it is a completely “independent civil organization” and opposed to receiving financial aid from any government.

The human rights organization also announced that it reserves the right to press charges against any “slander and unjust accusation.”

Defenders of Human Rights Centre in Iran has been run under the supervision of Shirin Ebadi since 1999 when the centre was founded by a group of prominent attorneys and experts in law.

The office of this centre has been shut down since December 2009 in the post-election events.