Iran says UN human rights envoy banned for alleged biased approach

TEHRAN, Iran – Tehran says it has banned the U.N.'s envoy for human rights in Iran from visiting the country, accusing him of political bias.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior judicial official, on Monday called U.N. Special Rapporteur Ahmad Shaheed a "media actor" and accused him of issuing politically-motivated reports.

Shaheed has repeatedly accused Iran of "widespread and systematic violations of human rights." He was appointed in 2011 but never actually allowed to visit Iran.

The United Nations, as well as several Western governments and human rights groups, has criticized Iran for the execution on Saturday of Reyhaneh Jabbari, a woman convicted of murdering a man she alleged was trying to rape her. After a 7-year-long investigation, a court rejected Jabbari's self-defense claim and she was hanged for premeditated murder.