FDI's Weekly Newswire

The life and [troubled] times of the IslamicRepublic of Iran

Available on the Internet or by e-mail for a $25 per yeartax-deductible contribution at http://www.iran.org/ Tel: 1+ (301)946-2910. Fax: 1+(310) 942-5341

 

FDI WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO 13

July 15, 1996

 

CONTENTS

* Repressive Penal Code adopted

* More police, new courts, seen as solution to unrest

* Rafsanjani approves violence

* Two condemned to death

* "Many Were Executed"

* Rafsanjan deputy saga takes new turn

* Iran threatens Kuwait over transmitter

* Closer Tehran-Baghdad Relations

* Mostazafan sells off villas, land

* Three killed in clashes

* 7000 Iranian Physicians in U.S.

* War vets to replace "un-Islamic" Professors

* Tehran invaded by snakes, lizards

* Mujahidin to launch US radio

 

Repressive Penal Code adopted

 

The Islamic Republic has officially adopted an Islamic PunishmentLaw (Penal Code), after fifteen years of applying many of itsprovisions informally. The law criminalizes behavior which isprotected under international law, confirming the recent trend by theTehran government to renege on its commitments tointernationally-recognized standards of human rights.

The adoption of the law was announced by Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdiin a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran on June 28, after prolongeddebate in Parliament. A draft "Islamic" penal code was firstpromulgated by the Revolutionary Council in the early days of theRevolution, and was initially supposed to be in force for five years.This "testing" period was then extended for another ten years. Duringthis time, the law was refined and revised, and its penaltiesstiffened, apparently in an effort to intimidate domestic opponentsto the regime.

In his prayer sermon, Ayatollah Yazdi crossed another "T," notingthat Iran's adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsdid not mean the Islamic Republic has accepted all of itsprovisions.

"International conventions and charters can not limit God's rule.We can't show any flexibility in this matter. For example, what humanrights organizations say about mixed male and female relations insociety, drinking alcohol, and penal codes and their applications isnot acceptable to us, because these things are against God's rule,"Yazdi said.

He claimed that the views of the Islamic Republic on these issueswere now being heard. "Our view on the necessity of respectingreligious beliefs and the cultural differences of nations hasgenerated a lively discussion on an international level."

Yazdi was not alone in condemning international human rightsstandards. For Ms. Maryam Behrouzi, who heads the Women's Affairsgroup within the government's "Islamic" Human Rights Committee, "theUnited Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsmay be enough for peoples and countries who do not believe in Islamand holy rules. But these texts are not valid when they opposeIslamic Human Rights, which refer to God. So we are not bound torespect or apply U.N. rules." She also criticized Western countriesfor using human rights "as a cover to impose their politicalwill."

Iranian officials periodically make statements condemninginternational human rights groups and standards, especially when amajor group, such as the United Nations Human Rights Commission,issues what Tehran views as a "weak" condemnation of its human rightsrecord. (The March 1996 report by Maurice Copithorne was viewed as"weak" by Tehran). Such reports have been followed by new waves ofrepression inside Iran. [Iran daily, 6/25]

 

More police, new courts, seen as solution to unrest

 

Amid growing social unrest over rising prices and unemployment,the authorities are requesting more police, an increased budget forthe Law Enforcement Force, and sweeping new judicial powers.

Ayatollah Yazdi told a national gathering of judges that he wasseeking to reconstitute the Judiciary Force, which was dissolvedyears ago when the regime decided the unite the different policeforces into one. The Judiciary Force, created just after therevolution, allowed each court to have its own armed agents. "We hopeMajlis will vote a bill to reinstate this force," Yazdi said.[Resalat, 6/25].

Yazdi's appeal for the new force was supported by Hojjat-ol eslamAli Younesi , the head of Armed Forces Judiciary Organization, wholamented the poor quality and insufficient quantity of LEF equipment.Poor equipment has led to "serious problems" in enforcing the law,Younesi said.

In addition to the Rev. Guards, the Basij force, and the Ministryof Intelligence, numerous other semi-official paramilitaryorganization still exist, including Hezbollah (and its "helpers,"Ansar-e Hezbollah), Islamic resistance units based in the mosques,and the Islamic associations attached to governmental offices, highschools and universities.

In a parallel move that would appear to indicate mounting concernsover the possibility of domestic dissent, Interior Minister AliMohammad Besharati called for new efforts "to deal with any attemptto disrupt the security of the society," following a meeting of theNational Security Council, which he chairs. According to Kayhan , thestatement was made public after a "close examination" of the domesticsecurity situation. [Kayhan, 6/29; Resalat 6/25]

Those concerns were reiterated at a recent conference of Islamicjudges in Tehran. Hojjat-ol eslam Ebrahim Raisi, who chaired a panelon security issues, indicated that the regime was seeking to revive a40-year old emergency law that would replace the courts with speciallocal committees.

The law was enacted in 1956 to enable the government to fight moreeffectively against communist subversion and foreign-backedterrorism, and was abandoned later on. But for Raisi, "this law isnot contrary to Islam, and still holds."

According to this law, Raisi said, every province should set up alocal security council to replace the courts in cases involvingsecurity offenses. The council's members will include the GovernorGeneral, the local representative of the Ministry of Intelligence,the Basij commander and local head of the Judiciary. [Salam,6/25; Jomhouri-e Eslami, 7/1]

 

Rafsanjani approves violence

 

Two times in as many days, President Hashemi Rafsanjani has comeout in support of violence as "a necessary means for dealing withopponents" - and this from a man touted by many Western leaders forhis "moderate" views.

At a National Conference on Youth on June 30, Rafsanjani calledfor "strengthening the intellectual foundations" of young people, toenable them to "make the right decisions." But he also called for"physical action and surveillance... to handle the unreasonable anddestructive cultural outbursts" of young people. [Jomhouri-eEslami, 7/1]

These comments were heard only one day after the President made avisit to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, known internallyunder its Iranian acronym VAJA. (Exiles and most Western writersstill refer to it as VEVAK). He called on VAJA agents to defend theinterests and the rights of Iranians, but added: "That doesn't meanyou should soften your methods in dealing with the wicked and peopletrying to harm security and tranquillity. You should always use theharshest methods when dealing with those who want to harm securityand order." [Salam, 6/30]

 

Brothers condemned to death

 

Two brothers, identified as Shamel Nasiri and Amel Nasiri, werecondemned to death for homicide and will be hanged soon, Iran dailyreported. Their trial reportedly came nine months after their allegedcrimes. [Iran, 7/1]

Under the Islamic Republic's judicial system, there is no right toappeal in criminal cases. However, the Supreme Court of Justice mustapprove or dismiss the verdict. Dismissed verdicts lead to a retrial.[Iran, 7/1]

 

"Many" Executed

 

The Islamic Republic's execution announcements are known to beterse, but last month they became even shorter.

In what may be a new style, Hojjat-ol eslam Hosseini, head ofTehran's anti-drug court, casually announced that "many members ofthree drug smuggling bands were condemned to death and executed." Hehad been commenting reports in the Iranian media on the dramatic risein heroin addiction in Iran when he let drop his executionannouncement.

Hosseini, who is also deputy head of the Islamic revolutionarycourts, gave no other information besides his terse, almostparenthetical statement on the executions - no names, dates, places,or even the numbers of those executed.

Less than three weeks ago, the authorities had announced thearrest of three international drug gangs, but Hosseini made no directreference to them in his announcement. In the same vague manner, heannounced that another man he accused of belonging to a cocainesmuggling ring had also been executed, "and the rest of them werecondemned to long prison terms."

The special court which hears drugs cases generally spends justone day per case, Hosseini said.

Heroin use had increased dramatically in Iran in recent months, ashas overall drug consumption. According to Iranian press reports, thenew heroin addicts are either young people who find heroin easier touse than opium, or old opium users who find heroin more readilyavailable than opium.

A law criminalizing drug addiction was voted by the Majlis a fewyears ago as an anti-drug measure; instead, it has resulted in sharpincreases in the number of drug addicts in Iran, since few will riskjail by seeking medical care. The law has also created a vastrecruitment pool for drug smugglers in search of local dealers in thehundreds of thousands of new "criminals."

"Drug addiction is still a crime, but we have plans to make itpossible for drug addicts to enter medical center through theanti-drug courts," Hosseini said.

Recent government successes against opium smugglers has forced upthe price of opium, Hosseini said, "which is why many addicts haveturned to heroin." [Resalat, 6/26]

 

Rafsanjan deputy saga takes new turn

 

The fate of Rafsanjan's elected member of Parliament, HamidBahrami Ahmadi, has see-sawed once again. After a specialinvestigative committee refused to seat him, and the full Majlisdecided to reconsider his credentials, the investigative committeeheld a closed session on June 26, "definitively" rejecting Ahmadi'scredentials and refusing to allow him to enter the Majlis.

According to one deputy, Dorri Najafabadi, the procedure used tooust Ahmadi violated the Majlis rules. "According to Majlis rules,the reasons for his rejection should have been announced, butapparently the Speaker (Nateq-Nouri) decided otherwise."

Following the announcement, Ahmadi asked permission to addressdeputies from the tribune, but Nateq-Nouri refused. "You are nolonger a deputy, so you have no right to speak here," he reportedlysaid. [Hamshahri , 6/27]

Salam claimed to have obtained a copy of the Investigativecommittee's report on Ahmadi, which they said accused him of workingfor SAVAK at the same time he was a political prisoner. The reportalso accused him having opposed the creation of the RevolutionaryGuards Corps and for having taken bribes while working as a lawyerfor the Islamic Republic at the International Claims Tribunal at theHague.

Jomhouri-e Eslami, which is owned by Ayatollah Khamene'i, put on agood face. "Following the rejection of the credentials of theirex-deputy, the residents of Rafsanjan now say they voted him out ofignorance. The people say there should be more time to investigatethe background of candidates, so the Council of Guardians can makeprecise decisions." Under the Islamic Republic's electoralprocedures, the Council must put its stamp of approval on allcandidates for public office. [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 6/30]

 

Iran threatens Kuwait over transmitter

 

An adviser to Foreign Minister Velayati has told Resalat thatKuwait has promised to close the recently-inaugurated Voice ofAmerica transmitter in Kuwait, following diplomatic pressure from theIslamic Republic.

The advisor, Ali Khorram, told the paper that the Foreign Ministry"alarmed the Kuwaitis about the dangers they might run if theycontinue to allow the transmitter to operate, and they promised toshut it down. The Kuwaiti authorities told us they were not expectingthe radio to broadcast programs against the Islamic Republic of Iran.Now we are waiting for the Kuwaitis to take action" and close thetransmitter.

When the powerful new transmitter, which beams VOA Farsi Serviceprograms all over Iran, was inaugurated in May, Parliament speakerNateq- Nouri and others criticized Kuwait. [Resalat 6/29]

 

 

Closer Tehran-Baghdad Relations

 

Rumors of secret talks between Baghdad and Tehran have beencirculating for months, but now they have been confirmed by Velayatiadvisor, Ali Khorram.

Speaking to Kayhan on June 26, Khorram confirmed there werebilateral talks on reopening the border and on allowing Iranianpilgrims to visit Shiite shrines in Iraq. No Iranian pilgrim has beenallowed into Iraq since the start of the Iran- Iraq war in September1980. [Kayhan, 6/26]

Four days later, Jomhouri-e Eslami reported that "pilgrimagevisits to Iraq will soon resume." Pilgrims were to cross the borderusing the Ilam-Mehran road.

Iraqi invited a group of Iranian journalists to observe Iraq'spresidential elections last October, the first officially-sanctionedvisit to Iraq by Iranians other than diplomats since the war. ThePeople's Mujahidin (PMOI) have been allowed to operate inside Iraqsince the organization openly sided with Baghdad against Iran in1983.

Recently Iraq turned over the remains of 144 Iranians killedduring the eight year war, in exchange for the remains of 200 Iraqisoldiers [Hamshahri, 6/26]. Another clear sign that somethingis afoot is the sudden, unexplained withdrawal of Iran's previousclaim that Iraq was holding 15,000 Iranian POWs - a hot button issueif there ever was one. Now Iran says that only 700 POWs are in Iraq.[Jomhouri-e Eslami, 6/30]

 

Mostazafan sells off villas, land

 

And it's business as usual at the Bonyad-e Mostazafan, which seemsto have embarked on a splurge of profit-taking, before the Majlisstarts taking a closer look at its books.

In another ad carried in most Tehran dailies, a "publicestablishment" has put up property valued at $110 million for publicsale. Called "The Biggest Property Bid - No. 9," the ad lists 240lots, including dozens of luxurious villas, town houses, apartments,private gardens, shops, and land, most of it in Tehran and theimmediate suburbs. While the ad does not refer to the Foundation byname, there is no other "establishment" in today's Iran with suchreal estate holdings - most of which were confiscated from Iranianexiles.

A few examples of the new offerings: a house in northwest Tehran,$310.000. Another house in north Tehran, $850.000. Land in a Tehransuburb, $1.5 million. And land in north Teheran, $2 million.

The most expensive item we could find on the list was a$2,171,000 lot located at No. 240 Zafar Avenue in Tehran. (Previousowners have not been advised of the sale). [Ettelaat,6/30]

 

Three killed in clashes

 

Two men identified as "armed bandits" and "smugglers" were killedin Taybad, in the northern Khorassan province, while they were tryingto escape from the Law Enforcement Forces, Hamshahri announced. Theywere carrying weapons and drugs which "fell into the hands of LEFagents." No date or names were given for the clash. [Hamshahri,6/30]

In another report an unnamed man was killed and two othersarrested in a clash with the LEF near Isfahan. According to aspokesman for Anti Drug Coordination Council , the men were membersof an international drug smuggling ring who were carrying 1,320 Kg ofmorphine, which was seized. [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 6/27]

 

 

7000 Iranian Physicians in U.S.

 

A new survey, conducted by an Iranian medical professor, has foundthat nearly 7000 Iranian medical doctors are now living in the US.Six thousand of them are actively practicing medicine, while the restare retired or working at other jobs. The majority of the doctorsfled the revolution and have no plans to return because of the "lackof political freedoms, the lack of proper housing, the technologicalbackwardness of the country, and their unwillingness to do theirmilitary service," the survey found.

The survey was conducted by Dr. Hussein Ali Ronaqi, and resultswere published in Hamshahri.

The survey found that only three years after the revolution, 70%percent of the faculty at the Shiraz University medical college,reputedly the best in Iran, had left their jobs or been kicked out bythe revolutionaries. Most wound up leaving the country, with 7,000going to the U.S. Ronaqi says there are no accurate statistics on thethousands of other Iranian doctors in Canada and Europeancountries.

At the time of the revolution, there were approximately 20,000medical doctors in Iran.

In 1989, Dr. Ronaqi wrote the Islamic Republic's Ministry ofHigher Education, seeking information on émigrédoctors. He was told that "not one Iranian doctor has left thecountry after the revolution." But in the same breath, the Ministryasserted there was an "increasing trend in the return of Iraniandoctors who had been living abroad before the revolution."[Hamshahri, 6/30]

 

War vets to replace "un-Islamic" Professors

 

The Islamic Republic has come up with a new way of getting aroundthe shortfall in qualified professors that will result once"un-Islamic" teachers are given the sack over the summer holidays.They plan to award special doctorate degrees to disabled warveterans.

Hojjat-ol eslam Hashemian, who heads the Bureau of UniversityStudent Veterans in the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, hasannounced that special Ph.D. courses are being established fordisabled veterans and the families of war martyrs, as a means of"fulfilling the order of the Supreme Leader on educating faithful andresponsible university teachers inside the country."

"Anyone who voluntarily fought at the warfront for at least sixmonth and is 25% disabled or more, or has spent at least 6 month asPOW, can register for the courses," Hashemian said. Also eligiblewere the wives and children of war martyrs and MIAs, and the wivesand children of POWs still held in Iraq.

If you meet any of the above criteria, there is no need to obtaina masters degree, Hashemian said. Applicants may simultaneously takePh.D. courses and master degree courses under the new ruling.[Jomhouri-e Eslami, 7/1]

Meanwhile, university teachers still on staff are to be sent to"ideological reeducation" courses, said Hojjat-ol eslam Mesbahi, theSupreme Leader's representative at Rafsanjani's Free IslamicUniversity. The sessions, called "Okhovvat" (brotherhood), areintended to reeducate university chancellors and professors.

"We will also create political-Islamic student groups andparties," Mesbahi said. [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 7/1]

 

Tehran invaded by snakes, lizards

 

A huge snake was found in a leather shop in the Tehran Bazaar,causing panic among shoppers and merchants. The shop owner called theFire Department after fleeing his shop, screaming. Firemen capturedthe snake, called it "very dangerous," and sent it to the zoo.[Iran, 7/1]

Tehran seems to have been taken over by all kinds of strangesnakes, lizards, and other reptiles in recent weeks. There have beenreports of lizards being captured in different parts of capital,causing panic in homes and in the streets.

This is the first time such a phenomena has been seen in Tehran,and it has provoked all kinds of rumors

Firemen have asked for a scientific explanation to explain theemergence of the reptiles, while ordinary citizens have ascribed theinvasion to everything from recent military maneuvers in the Qomdesert, to the results of Chernobyl. [Iran daily, 7/1].

 

Mujahidin to launch US radio

 

A Los Angeles exile paper has reported that the People's MujahidinOrganization of Iran (PMOI) are seeking to set up a 24-hour radio andtelevision station in San Francisco, and have allocated a $20 millionbudget for the project. The paper alleges that Iraq has recentlyincreased its budget for the PMOI, and that the organization will usepart of the money for a subtle lobbying campaign in Washington aimedat painting Saddam Hussein as the best bulwark against theexpansionist fundamentalism of the Islamic Republic.

According to the paper, the Mujahidin intend to buy into anexisting station, thus avoiding complicated negotiations with the FCCto obtain a broadcasting license. [Asre Emrooz, 7/5]