Secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights says the Islamic Republic will defend the rights of aboriginal people in Canada just as it supports all oppressed people across the world.

Mohammad Javad Larijani made the remarks during a meeting with the leader of the Canadian indigenous people, Terry Nelson, in Tehran on Tuesday.

Larijani noted that the Canadian aboriginal people have been marginalized rather than being regarded as the country's cultural wealth.

"As we defend the rights of people of Bahrain, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine in the international organizations, we will also vociferously defend Canada’s aboriginal population,” he added.

Larijani, who is also a top adviser to Iran's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, stated that “unfortunately Canada has exploited and even committed genocide against the aboriginal people rather than investing in their treasure of cultural and civilization wealth."


For his part, Nelson praised the Iranian government for its support of Canada’s aboriginal people.

The Canadian activist said that Ottawa has denied the aboriginal youth’s basic rights of citizenship by keeping them in poverty and not allowing them to study at universities.

Nelson pointed to the growing number of aboriginal women and girls disappearing in the North American country, saying “We have a list of 600 missing native women in recent years in Canada that we do not even know if they have been murdered or used as sex slaves.”

The UN strongly condemned Canada's record on children's rights recently, accusing Ottawa of systematic discrimination against aborigines and immigrants.

According to reports, Canada has forced thousands of aboriginal children into ghastly boarding schools where they have been abused sexually, psychologically, and physically.

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