FDI's Weekly Newswire

The life and [troubled] times of the Islamic Republic of Iran

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WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO. 32

DEC. 24, 1996

FDI was the first organization outside of Iran to report on the disturbances in Kermanshah earlier this month. (See Action Memorandum 029, Dec. 4). Two weeks after the violent suppression of anti-regime demonstrations, the situation remains tense, with special security troops patrolling the streets and a ban on all opposition gatherings.

On Dec. 19, we asked one of our monitors in Western Iran to travel to Kermanshah to give us a first-hand report on the situation. "This morning when I arrived in Kermanshah, the gates of the city were under tight security. The Special Guards of the Islamic Revolution and agents of the Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS) patrolled the streets, especially the area around Javanshir Square and the streets leading into it," he reported. "The Special Guards troops I saw were equipped with semi-automatic machine-guns. Some patrolled the area in vehicles with .50 caliber heavy machine-guns mounted on top. The doors of the main Sunni mosque of the city had been closed by the authorities and no one was allowed to enter. The local cemetery was also closed, and relatives of those killed during the disturbances who had come to stage a commemoration ceremony were turned away."

Our monitor notes that while relatives of the victims of the anti-riot troops were not allowed to hold ceremonies for their loved ones, local residents said the regime had staged a special ceremony at the same ceremony some two weeks earlier to honor a Law Enforcement Force Colonel, Ali Akbar Najafi, who was killed by an angry mob during the funeral of Mollah Mohammad Rabiei, the local Sunni cleric whose alleged murder set off the disturbances on Dec. 2 [FDI Action Memorandum 12/20]

Kermanshah Prayer Imam blames "fanatics"

A Shiite Friday prayer imam in Kermanshah, Hojjat-ol eslam Mohammad Hussein Masoumi Rad, provided an intriguing inside glimpse into just how serious the December riots had been, in a prayer sermon carried live by Kermanshah Radio on Dec. 7.

He blamed the riots on "counter-revolutionary elements" who were "against God," claiming that during the demonstrations they had "set fire to the Holy Koran." Such acts of blasphemy were directed by "America and the Zionists," he claimed.

In an intriguing twist, Rad revealed that one of the main slogans of the demonstrators was "Down with Terrorism." Then he added his own spin: "But while they were saying this they were really supporting the [German] court in the Mykonos case in its assault against our Holy regime."

Rad went onto to claim that the demonstrators were seeking to "break the unity of Sunnis and Shiites in Iran," and that they were "fed by foreigners. Some of them were arrested, and God willing, they will make televised interviews and confess to their crimes."

Many of those arrested were taken at the city bus terminal, showing that they were not from Kermanshah, he said. In fact, both the KDPI and the Iran Nation's Party had claimed early own during the disturbances that townspeople from the neighboring city of Sanandaj had flocked to Kermanshah in a show of support for the demonstrators.

"I ask everybody to publish documents about their crimes, such as setting the Holy Koran on fire and setting fire to public buildings. What kind of Muslim can dare attack the Imam Khomeini Welfare Committee Center? What kind of Muslim can attack the building of the Islamic Guidance organization? What kind of Muslim can attack the building of the Islamic Propagation organization? These attackers can not be called Muslims. They are people who are fighting against religion."

Finally, Rad insisted that Sunni cleric Mollah Rabaie had not been murdered by regime agents, as many had alleged, but died of a natural illness. "This was confirmed by Sunni clergymen in Kermanshah," he claimed. To dispel doubts, the authorities had asked that Rabaie's body be autopsied. The results, Rad said, showed " no sign of poison." The results of the autopsy were sent to Tehran and "they also confirmed that he was not poisoned," Rad said. [Note: Opposition groups had alleged that Rabaie had been strangled, not poisoned].

In a desperate plea, Rad called on Kermanshah's Sunni clerics to "tell the Bazaar and the schools to reopen." This was the first official confirmation showing that the anti-regime movement in Kermanshah has continued much longer than previously thought. [Kermanshah Radio 12/7]

Iran daily reported that pro-regime demonstrations were held in Javanrod, one of the cities outside Kermanshah that was rocked by anti-regime protests, on Dec. 16. [Iran 12/17]

Missing writer reappears

Faraj Sarkhoui, the editor of the monthly literary journal Adineh who disappeared on November 3 while boarding a flight to Frankfurt, at Tehran's Mehrebad airport, made a spectacular reappearance on Friday. At a news conference held at the Tehran airport, Sarkouhi said he had been in Germany to seek custody of his two children, and had not contacted his wife during his stay. But the German authorities have affirmed all along that he never actually arrived in Germany.

Supporters in the West, included his wife, had alleged he had been arrested by MOIS and tried in a secret court. Sarkhoui was one of a group of writers who had been attempting to set up an Iranian writers union, and was detained overnight several months ago when MOIS agents raided a private party at the home of a German diplomat in Tehran.

At the press conference, Sarkhoui said that the Islamic Republic authorities contacted him in Cologne and he explained the situation about his wife and children. "They assured me that I can safely return home, no charge will be pressed against me." He claimed he returned to Iran via Turkmenistan.

But when journalists asked to see Sarkouhi's passport, he said he had given it to someone in Turkmenistan to help him secure a Canadian visa [Reuters 12/20].

Radical clerics discuss joining Rafsanjani

The radical clerical association Majma-e Rouhaniyun says it may back former Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Khatami in next year's Presidential election, Jomhouri-e Eslami reported. Khatami was ousted from the Cabinet in 1992 because of his relatively moderate views.

The paper also reported the Rafsanjani faction may support Rafsanjani's brother, Mohammad Hashemi, as their candidate for president, or alternately Dr. Hasan Habibi. There were also reports that the pro-Rafsanjani Supporters of Construction group was in discussions with Rouhaniyun to select a common candidate. [Jomhouri-e Eslami 12/18]

Islamic Republic to set up international TV

The Islamic Republic is planning to establish an international Islamic television network, with the help of Russia and Sweden. An aide to the head of IRIB, identified only as Mr. Bouranjani, told a Tehran press conference that IRIB had been instructed to establish the new network following the Majlis ban on satellite dishes early this year. The organization is currently negotiating with the owners of satellite networks to rent channels, Bouranjani said. It is also formulating the necessary plans to create content and acquire the equipment needed for the new network.

Mr. Bouranjani said Iran is negotiating with Russia and Sweden for technical assistance. The new network will give "special importance" to producing programs suitable for traditions of Islamic society. [Bulletin of the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies, October 1996]

No limits for Muslim women

There are "no limits" on the type of activities open to Muslim women in the political and social arena, Majlis speaker Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri told women parliamentarians from seven Islamic countries on Dec. 8.

Nateq-Nouri said that human history had always been witness to discrimination, particularly against women, and "this is true, even today, in the countries claiming to be defenders of human rights, who, when it comes to women, regard them as a mere commercial commodity."

Pointing to Holy Koranic verses on women's rights and obligations, he stressed that "there are no limits for the activities of Muslim women in the social and political fields." He added it was regrettable that in some countries women were deprived of their Islamic rights in the name of Islam. [IRNA 12/8]

The Islamic Republic has assumed a curious role in recent weeks as the defender of a "kinder, gentler" form of Islamic regime, in response to the Taleban takeover in Afghanistan.

Majlis committee demands investigation of ties with Germany

After a closed session on Dec. 17, the Majlis Foreign Affairs Committee demanded that the Tehran government launch an expert study on 7 issues involving Iranian-German relations, and report back within 2 months.

The Committee demanded that the government: 1) to deliver a complete report on recent developments between Iran and Germany, 2) ask Germany to immediately put an end to the activities of the Iranian opposition in Germany and extradite active opposition members to Iran; 3) demand that Germany explain why it are supporting "terrorist" groups, 4) ask German government to explain their involvement in exporting WMD technologies to Iraq in the 1980s, 5) examine German conventional arms exports to the region 6) examine human rights violations in Germany, especially racism and the status of Iranians living in Germany.

The Majlis commission also criticized Germany for having withdrawn from contractual agreements with the Islamic Republic, in particular the Busheir nuclear power project and the Qazvin pesticides plant, which is allegedly being used to produce nerve gas. [Iran daily, Jomhouri-e Eslami, 12/17]

IRI ambassador loves Saudis

In an interview published in Al Sharq al Awsat and immediately relayed by IRNA, the Islamic Republic ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Reza Nuri-Shahrudi, said the Western media had embarked on a propaganda campaign and a "dangerous conspiracy" by accusing the Islamic Republic of responsibility in the Dhahran bombing. However, the Saudi leadership had dismissed these allegations "due to their knowledge of the facts and their insight," he said.

Nuri-Shahroudi said he appreciated the "brave stand" of King Fahd, Crown prince Abdullah, and the Saudi ministers of defense and the interior "vis-a-vis the Zionist pressures," IRNA quoted him as saying. [IRNA 12/18]

In Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Maleki, claimed that when the Saudis publish the results of their investigation into Dhahran "it will show that the Islamic Republic of Iran had no role" in the bombing, the Tehran morning dailies reported.

Christian priest reportedly killed

Citing unspecified Tehran radio and television broadcasts from November 20 through Dec. 3, an Israeli Internet news agency claims there has been a new crackdown on Christian priests in Iran who have converted from Islam.

The latest victim was an Iranian Christian priest, Mohammad Youssefi, who was killed on October 13 on the orders of Revolutionary Iranian court on October 13. Youssefi's body was found in late November, hanging on a tree outside the Northern city of Sari, along the Caspian Sea coast, the news agency said, quoting diplomatic sources in Iran.

The priest was known as Mohammed Ravanbakhsk and considered the second highest in the Christian Church in Sari. After days of silence, the Islamic authorities in Iran concluded their investigation of the incident but claimed that Father Yousefi had committed suicide.

"It is now known that despite what was said by official spokesmen, the priest did not commit suicide but rather was executed by Sheik Reza Rezian, the head of the Revolutionary Islamic court [in Sari]," the news agency said. "He was killed by two agents of the regime, Sheik Ali Akbar Adav and Sid Mohammed Shafai. His body was hung on a tree in a residential neighborhood after his death."

According to Islamic law, every Moslem who converts is considered an apostate and is subject to death. Beyond this, "the religious authorities in Iran consider the priests, in particular those Iranians who convert to Christianity, to be spies working for spy networks, in particular the CIA," IMRA explained.

Over the past two years, at least five other priests have been killed, most of them Moslems by birth who become Protestant Christians. In one case, the regime conducted a show trial and convicted three confessed members of the Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization for one of the murders. The MKO denied any involvement and said the three women were not related in any way to their organization. [IMRA, 12/15/96]

Lubrani to Israel?

In a statement issued by its Foreign Spokesman, the opposition Iran Nation's party alleges that Ambassador Uri Lubrani, czar of Israel's policy toward Iran, made a "top secret" trip to Tehran on Tuesday, December 17, and met with leaders of the Islamic Republic.

The INP spokesman cites no sources for the report, but said Lubrani discussed the fate of captured Israeli aviator Ron Arad, and pledged that the "Government of Israel will help the Islamic Republic with all its power to solve the problem of the opposition living outside the country," and would help the Tehran regime in "controlling Iranian freedom fighters."

The INP statement alleged that Lubrani also pledged Israeli support in helping the Islamic Republic seek ways round the U.S. economic sanctions.

In an angry reaction, the statement warned that the INP "will publish one by one the traitorous moves by the Israelis against the Iranian people."

There was no independent confirmation of the INP statement. While there have been suggestions in recent months of secret contacts between the Israelis and the Islamic Republic, a trip by Lubrani to Tehran would represent a startling turn-around given that Lubrani has lobbied Washington hard to get the U.S. to take a tough line toward the Islamic Republic. [INP statement 12/20]

FDI's Weekly Newswire

WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO. 32

DEC. 24, 1996

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