Five young men, aged 21-23, were hanged from construction cranes in downtown Tabriz on Wednesday, May 14, following several days of demonstrations and increasingly violent clashes between demonstrators and the Law Enforcement Forces.
The hangings were announced on Saturday in a brief statement from the head of Judicial Affairs for East Azerbaijan province. The unnamed official made no reference to the demonstrations, and provided no other details on the case or the judicial procedures. [Hamshahri 5/18] (See Action Memorandum 012 in our Human Rights section).
The opposition Iran Nation's Party, which first announced the hangings in a statement issued on Friday, said the authorities moved the construction cranes around deliberately so the hanged men would be visible from all parts of the city. The INP also reported that at least 100 demonstrators had been arrested in their homes by the security forces over the past three days.
The INP claimed that the demonstrations started on Sunday, May 12, when Mohammad Ali Chehrgani, who had won a seat in the new Majlis during the first round of elections in April, issued a statement saying he had not resigned from the Majlis, as the government had claimed, and that an earlier statement announcing his resignation had been signed under duress. According to the INP, Mr. Chehrgani stated he had been forcibly interrogated shortly after his April election victory by the intelligence services and ordered to sign a statement, which was then widely reported in the official media.
The first official confirmation that major demonstrations had taken place last week appeared in Sunday's edition of Salam newspaper [5/19]. In an interview with Salam, the Governor General of Tabriz also confirmed that the security forces had "attacked several operation houses used by counter-revolutionary forces" in Tabriz, following the demonstrations.
But the true scope and import of the demonstrations has only begun to emerge. A senior Bassij force official told Salam that his troops had "crushed the demonstrations, as we will crush any such counter-revolutionary uprising." [Salam 5/19].
His comment came amidst a welter of similar statements by senior Islamic Republic leaders warning of "counter-revolutionary" elements and "liberal" forces.
On Sunday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamene'i, in a speech to university professors and presidents that was broadcast on Tehran radio, denounced recent disturbances at universities caused by "counter-revolutionary" elements. These disturbances "prove that a new round of purges is needed" at the universities, "to eliminate pro-Western elements and those who do not observe Islamic values."
Khamene'i also called for scaling back on the number of Iranian students who were sent abroad for university studies.
Also on Sunday, a statement by a senior Bassij force commander, Rev. Guards Brigadier General Fallahi, warned that "as of today, 230,000 bassijis are engaged in a maneuver in support of Hezbollah, aimed at stopping any person not observing Islamic values."
So far, none of these events has been reported by any Western news agency with offices inside Iran.
[Iranfax 5/19; Salam 5/19; Tehran Radio, 5/19; Hamshahri 5/18; INP statements]
President Rafsanjani on Sunday issued a blunt warning to President Clinton: stay out of Iran's domestic affairs, or else! In a comment broadcast by the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Rafsanjani warned that the IRI "has documents and facts that can change the nature and outcome of the coming U.S. presidential elections," and hinted he would release the documents if the U.S. did not cease its "hostile" actions against Iran. [IRNA 5/19]
In a speech on Friday, May 17, to Bassij force commanders in Tehran, Revolutionary Guards commander Maj. General Mohsen Rezai hinted that the regime has begun to doubt the loyalty of some Revolutionary Guards unit commanders, because of their opposition to the violent activities in recent weeks of the bassij force and Ansar-e Hezbollah. "If this dispute between the Revolutionary Guards and the Bassij Force continues," Rezai said, "the situation will be critical for the Islamic Republic."
He went on to describe how he saw the new challenges facing the bassij force. "The duty of the Bassij Force," he said "is not only security and protection, but effective participation in challenging the counter-revolutionary forces. " He also called on the Bassij Force to "move into the Universities" to challenge "counter-revolutionary forces" there.
Two men were killed "in the northern mountains of Kerman" in a clash with LEF agents, Ettelaat reported (5/2). The paper quoted a LEF spokesman accusing the deceased of being "armed thugs" engaged in "wickedness and drug smuggling." He also accused them of "creating insecurity in the region."
The paper did not give the two men's names, the date, or the circumstances of the clash.
Many people have been killed in recent years by the LEF and other armed units of the IRI, without any reports whatsoever, especially in southeastern Iran.
In another "clash" in Khorasan province in April, two "armed thugs" were killed by LEF officers, Kayhan reported (4/24). The only precision given about the "clash" was that it took place in "Gazic" border area. No other information was released.
Two men were hanged in Tehran on charges of homicide, rubbery, and hostage taking, the Iran daily reported (5/2). They were identified as Kiumars Ghambari, 23, and Baratali Cheraghi, 36. The news account said they had been sentenced to death after a trial in an "appropriate" court. But the paper gave no details on the date of the trial or the type of judicial procedure involved, nor whether they were granted legal defense. The date of their execution was not revealed.
After years of increasing - but uneven - censorship, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has released a new set of guidelines and regulations that impose draconian new limits on the Iranian film industry.
Ezattolah Zarghami, deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Cinematographic Affairs, said the government will only tolerate film makers who deal with the subjects related to the war with Iraq, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, crimes of the past shahs and Iranians sufferings in their rule, and to Iranian youth. One other subject for government subsidies: "magnifying our country's achievements and progress," Zarghami said.
Under the new Film Code, scripts must be submitted to the Ministry Censor before they can be shot, and no film may be produced without a special Ministry license.
The government is also getting into the business of market regulation, by limiting the number of films that may be produced in any given year, with the total number of permits that will be granted in the current year is 50.
The new Film Code includes a chapter called "Forbidden Frames And Sounds." According to these instructions, "no foreign language word or alphabet should be seen on actors costumes, no actor is allowed to wear ties or neckties. No close-up frames of female faces is permitted [even with Islamic veil]." [Salam, 4/24]
"The ruling dynasty in Saudi Arabia will soon be toppled by an Islamic Revolution," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told an audience at Friday prayers in Tehran on May 17.
Jannati, who recently returned from the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, is emerging as a key supporter of Majlis speaker Nateq-Nouri and a major power broker within the regime. He is also believed to be financing the Ansar-e Hezbollah group that has been attacking women, "liberals," Barbie dolls, Soroush, and dogs... as anti-Islamic.
"The youth of Saudi Arabia has risen against the country's rulers, and their Islamic slogans are much louder now than before. The Saudi ruler can't silence their cries forever. They can't suppress these people forever."
Jannati's diatribe was the most violent attack on Saudi Arabia issued in Tehran in recent months, which may explain why it was only broadcast on the special FM channel that carries the Friday prayer sermons to Tehran residents, and not on Radio Tehran. Quotes from his speech were picked up by Radio Israel's Farsi-language service and monitored by FDI [5/17].
Jannati had attempted to organize a major political demonstration in Mecca during this year's pilgrimage, but was blocked by the Saudi authorities. Despite this, he told his Tehran audience on Friday that the Iranian demonstration was held "in the most triumphal manner possible."
In another part of his sermon, Jannati criticized Muslims in other countries for not paying enough attention to the crimes of Israel.
He also reiterated his support for the recent attacks by Ansar-e Hezbollah, calling them "appropriate" for preserve Islamic values.
Jannati attacked the Iranian intelligentsia as "semi-intellectuals, who support the West, and follow funny personalities," an apparent reference to Abdolkarim Soroush [see below].
The Ayatollah even criticized the Iranian people as a whole, for not paying enough attention to their Islamic duties and obligations. [Kol Israel 5/17]
Iran today endorsed capital punishment for anyone disclosing confidential information to foreigners, including economic information, and singled out agents working for the United States and Israel and groups trying to overthrow the government.
The amended Islamic Punishment law covers spying in military, political, security, economic, social and scientific fields, and is considerably tougher than current statutes which impose the death sentence only for military and security espionage.
No official explanation was given for what prompted the new penalties, which were passed as an "urgent" measure by Parliament. [Kayhan 5/5; Jomhouri-e Eslami 5/5; Xinhua 5/5; Reuter 5/6]
As the Ansar-e Hezbollah group was threatening to block a lecture by Islamic philosopher Abdelkarim Soroush (see Newswire 4), Kayhan accused Soroush of being a "foreign agent" and warned that the group would justified in its harassment of him.
It was the first time Soroush has openly been accused of collaboration with foreign powers - perhaps an attempt to get him labeled as a spy and prosecuted under the tough new anti-espionage laws passed by the Majlis. [Kayhan 5/11]
In an open letter to Rafsanjani carried in Kayhan and Resalat, Ansar-e Hezbollah called Soroush a "secularist and disgraceful man who does not observe Islamic values and is an agent of Western values." The group said they would not bow to pressure and would maintain their activities against Soroush and against "Western values." [5/16]
Central Asian leaders attending the fourth summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization last week threatened to leave the organization if Iranian President Rafsanjani does not behave himself better.
At last week's summit, Rafsanjani lashed out at Israel's recent military action in southern Lebanon, and attacked the United States in language that made Uzbek President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan threaten to leave the room and led to the summit being shortened by a full day. Karimov later explained his outrage. Rafsanjani's speech showed "there is a danger of transforming this organization into a military-political unit. It was not our intention when we joined and is not acceptable to anyone. If there are attempts to use this forum for political means...we will terminate our membership."
Karimov was supported in his position by Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, who left the summit early, and Imomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan. [Reuter 5/14/96
Iran's top judge has blasted the Baha'i faith as a "spy organization," rejecting criticism over alleged persecution of the minority religion in the Islamic republic, IRNA reported. The news agency quoted the head of Iran's Judiciary branch, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, rebuking human rights organizations for their criticism of Iran. "Religious minorities in Iran enjoy freedom," Yazdi said. "However...Baha'ism is not a religion but an espionage establishment." [IRNA, 5/14]
The incidence of heart disease in Iran has been increasing from 30 to 50% annually, according to Dr. Ali Reza Marandi, Minister of Health and Medical Education. "The increase in heart and coronary disease, and the decrease in the age of the patients, are such that if preventive actions are not taken immediately, it will be impossible to provide them with medical care," Marandi told an International Conference on Heart and Coronary Diseases in Tehran.
The main causes of heart attacks among young people were stress, air pollution, and smoking, Dr. Marandi said. Recent statistics show that heart and coronary disease is the leading cause of death in Tehran, accounting for more than 45% of all deaths.
In another medical gathering in Tehran, the head of the Gastroenterologists Society, Dr. Mir Majlesi, complained about the lack of x-ray equipment, and noted that the poor hygiene in Iran's hospitals has helped the spread of infectious diseases. [Jomhouri-e Eslami 5/1; Salam 5/1].
Now the "L" word has spread to the clergy...
In a rare confession, Jomhouri-e Eslami daily, which reflects the ideas of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamene'i, has acknowledged in a lead editorial that "liberal" elements now outnumber conservatives in the leading Islamic seminaries (Hozeh) in Iran. These "liberals," the paper warned, believe the terrible heresy that religion should be separated from government...
"These are clerics who wanted the [S]hah's reign to continue, and when revolution triumphed, they continued to plot against it. They went as far as trying to stage a coup-d'état, to assassinate The Great Leader and put an end to our Islamic movement. Colonial forces still breed these clerics, and in a not distant future, they may inflict a serious blow to our revolution," the paper warned. "Why should the education of our future clerics and the management of the Islamic Academies be in the hands of those who believe that...Velayat-e Faghih is not acceptable in today's civilized and democratic world," the paper complained.
Such clerics "not only exist, but they are even more active than Khomeini's believers," the paper continued.
Many traditional clerics have challenged the religious credentials of Supreme Leader Ali Khamene'i over the past two years. The Jomhouri-e Eslami editorial suggests that Khamene'i is losing ground, even in the heartland of Khomeinism, Qom. [4/21]
Residents of northern Israel know something about Iranian katyushas, but if they want to learn about longer-range Iranian missiles, they will have to travel to Malaysia...
At the recent Asian arms show in Kuala Lumpur, Iran's Defense Industries Organization put on display long-range surface-to-surface missiles and a variety of other weapons, offering them for export.
According to the head of the Iranian stand at the show, identified only as Mr. Jarrahi, "the Islamic Republic of Iran's sells arms only to countries who want to defend themselves, not to invade other countries."
Mr. Jarrahi said that Iran's objective in participating in the exhibition was "to present the progress of the Islamic Republic's arms industry, and to try to find new markets for our military and defensive products."
Jarrahi claimed that the visitors were "stunned" by what they saw on the Iran stand. "Eight years of war [with Iraq], made us self- sufficient in many military fields. For example, we are ahead of many Western countries in presenting anti-chemical warfare devices," he said.
Turning to Iran's SCUD-B equivalent missiles, Jarrahi said Iran began producing surface-to-surface missiles during the war with Iraq. "But our astonishing progress in this field started with the end of the war." [Hamshahri 4/27]
The heads of the Islamic propaganda organizations of Iran and Bosnia conferred in Mecca during the recent hajj, to review and coordinate their anti-Western policies, the official Ettelaat reported.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads Iran's Islamic Propagation Organization described the crimes of World Arrogance [the U.S.], the paper reported, and appealed to Muslims the world over to unite against it.
The head of the Bosnian Islamic Center, identified only as Dr. Menit, accused Western powers of using economic tools to influence Bosnian culture," the paper said. "He added that the Arrogant powers are trying to distance the Bosnian people from Islamic countries by according them substantial loans, and corrupting our youth by importing their technology and culture," Ettelaat said.
The two met during a conference in Mecca with the improbable title: "The End of Military Assault And The Beginning of Cultural Assault." [Ettelaat, 5/2]
An Iranian-born professor of communications and international relations at the American University in Washington DC, has won first prize as "best political columnist" in a journalistic competition organized in Tehran by the Culture And Islamic Guidance
Dr. Hamid Mowlana, a regular contributor to the radical Kayhan daily, was honored for his anti-American article called "Western Plot In Bosnia and Palestine: Peace Without Justice." [Resalat 5/6]
The anti- American and anti-Western columns of Mr. Mowlana are frequently praised by IRI leaders. The official press refers to him as a "top academic figure" in the U.S., who admires the Islamic Revolution and has revolted against American political and social system.
Introducing a recent interview with Dr. Mowlana, one of Tehran's most radical weeklies, Sobh, called him "an anti-imperialist who has written extensively on the nature of Arrogant media and politics." In the interview, Mowlana referred to the "Genocide of Moslems around the world, because of their faith," and sharply criticized American society as "corrupt" and rotten.
He accused the U.S. government of seeking to divide the Islamic world, by labeling Iranian revolution "fundamentalist" in order to fight Islam. He also warned Iranians about the "hazards" of the Internet, and advised them to "question the necessity of the Internet in the social, cultural and economic life of the country, and the identity and goals of those who would use it, before promoting the Information Highway." [Sobh 3/12]
The IRI Majlis has voted a law that confers a full university degree on anyone who memorizes the Koran entirely. These Koranic experts need not attend a single class, or pass any university exams, except for a special exam to prove that they can recite Koran from the memory. If they succeed, they are awarded a BA degree in "Koranic Sciences", and can continue their university education in any branch they wish on equal footing with normal graduates. [Resalat 5/6]
In the meantime, 1.3 million students took annual university entrance examinations last Monday, competing for the 140,000 places at the state-run universities. [Reuter 5/16]
When it comes to espionage, the Swiss have got the rest of the world beat - at least, if you believe this item which ran recently in Sobh.
It seems an Iranian film-maker by the name of Javad Shamghadri, who is working on a project called "Sand Tempest" about the failed 1980 U.S. hostage rescue mission in Tabas, spotted some suspicious-looking Swiss embassy cars prowling around his outdoor set in the desert near Tabas.
Were the "spies" seeking information about the whereabouts of the U.S. hostages... sixteen years after their release? Not at all.
Shamghadri told Sobh he thought the Swiss were seeking to discover the production schedule of his film, which obviously must contain some pretty hot info for the Swiss to travel several hundred kilometers across the desert to spy on him.
On April 24, the 16th anniversary of the failed American rescue operation, 6000 Hezbollahis gathered in Tabas desert to burn the U.S. flag. The governor of Yazd province, Gholamali Sefid, told the group that a museum, a hotel and a memorial monument would be constructed in Shekar, near the scene of the rescue operation, and that new books and films will be released to keep the memory of the American failure alive.
The wreckage of the U.S. helicopters and military aircraft are still visible in the Tabas desert. [Sobh 5/7]
In the final days of the current (4th) Majlis of the Islamic Republic, the outgoing Islamic deputies tried the oldest trick in the book: passing a law awarding themselves lifetime benefits.
The "most urgent" bill called for preserving their "rights" - defined as salaries plus immunity from civil prosecution - for the rest of their lives.
The bill which was voted as "most urgent", ordered that "the sum of the salaries and other financial benefits which were paid to Majlis deputies be maintained after the end of their term as lawmakers." Furthermore, the ex-deputies are to be "treated as deputies in front of the courts." [in other words, they will continue to benefit from parliamentary immunity from justice]. If the former deputies accept other, lesser paying jobs from the government after their service, they must receive a salary and benefits package at least equivalent to what they had received at the Majlis," one article reads. Such favors are necessary "in order to preserve the honor of The Holy Regime of the Islamic Republic."
The bill includes "Ministers and other government members, and the members of The Guardians Council," in its largesse, and calls the salary benefits "eternal advantages."
Despite the attempt to pass the bill under "most urgent" rules, some Tehran newspapers took notice.
In an editorial entitled "Most Urgent Interests," Salam wondered: "Aren't these deputies ashamed to ask for eternal financial and legal privileges when 70% of them received a vote of distrust from the people [in the recent elections]?"
Even ultra-conservative Jomhuri-e Eslami criticized the bill. "The people ask: in these times of terrible economic hardship, how can our representatives dare, in their last days of office, to put their personal interests before ours?" [Salam, Jomhouri-e Eslami, 5/9/96]
Members of an Iranian opposition group, the Society for the Defense of Political Prisoners, staged a demonstration on Saturday, May 18, in front of the office of German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl, protesting the EU policy of "critical dialogue" with the Islamic Republic and warning that 23 political prisoners currently in detention in Iran were facing imminent execution.
A close relative of former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani Sadr was killed by a hit-and-run driver when walking in suburban Versailles last week. Sadighe Nobari, 70, was the mother of Mr. Bani Sadr's son-in-law.
French police sources told French TV (TF1) on May 17 that their investigation had concluded she had been killed in an "organized attack," perhaps indicating another politically-motivated assassination. [TF1 5/17].