Muslim nations "lost their independence when they cut off theirrelationship with mosques, religion and Islamic faith," Supreme LeaderAyatollah Khamene'i told visiting ulema and theological students in Qomon Jan. 9. "As a bastion of religion, worship and wisdom, the mosquecan herald great movements and immortal blessings for Muslim communities."
Calling the Islamic Revolution in Iran an indescribable event, AyatollahKhamene'i said: "A country which was once a base of the U.S., itsrulers lackeys of the big powers, its wealth distributed among the rulingfamilies, where religion was fading and the people driven to corruption,has now turned into a country whose government is independent, brave andpopular, whose leaders and officials are faithful, whose soldiers are piousand whose people are standing against such powers as the U.S. without anyfear.'' [Iran news 1/9]
The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran has reunited with a dissident faction,known since March 1988 as the KDPI-Revolutionary Leadership, when the groupsplit off to join ranks with the Mujahidin.
The two groups announced their merger after quiet negotiations, whichhave been underway for the past 18 months, according to a joint statement."[T]he discord and disagreements between the Party activists was acause for deep and bitter concern," the group said. The group endedits message with a call for unity among all Iranians. [KDPI/KDPI-RL jointstatement 1/9/97]
Mehrdad Khonsari, the self-styled "Leader" of an oppositionsplinter group in London, has accused the pro-monarchist owner of an Iranianradio station in Los Angeles of being an agent of the Islamic Republic.
In a statement published in Nimrooz on Dec. 27, an exile weekly appearingin London, Mr. Khonsari accused "the person responsible for RadioSedaye Iran," Mr. Assadollah Morovati, of having attacked him as partof a campaign "orchestrated by the Ministry of Information and Securityaimed at destroying and dividing the opposition."
Mr. Morovati told The Iran Brief that he would be taking legal actionagainst Mr. Khonsari and eventually against Nimrooz, after consulting withhis lawyer who is currently on vacation.
Mr. Khonsari's accusations came amidst public complaints from formermembers of his own organization that he had betrayed them by entering intocontact with the Iranian regime.
Mr. Khonsari met with Mr. Morovati in Los Angeles in late October atthe instigation of Ahmed Oveissi, an advisor to Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi,in an effort to convince Mr. Morovati to back his efforts to initiate adialogue with the Islamic Republic.
In three consecutive telephone interviews from late October to mid-December,Mr. Khonsari described in detail his reasons for offering a dialogue tothe regime. He also confirmed that an official from the Islamic Republic'sMinistry of Information and Security had come from Tehran to meet withhim in Germany in early October, "after I gave an interview sayingthat the opposition should hold a dialogue with the regime."
Mr. Khonsari said the official claimed he was representing the regime,and expressed an interest in putting together a "package deal"with the opposition. "For 17 years, we have been prisoners of ourown slogans, and we have gotten nothing," Mr. Khonsari said. "Butthe regime has never been more vulnerable," making the time ripe fornegotiation. "The removal of the doctrine of the Velayat-e faghihis the main concession we want from them," he said. "After that,you can have some kind of democratic reform." [Iran Brief, 1/6]
Senator Rosso Spena criticized the Italian government for the effusivewelcome extended to Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati,who was feted by Italian Foreign Minister Dini on Jan. 7. "Our foreignpolicy should not be limited to finding markets; economic expansion cannotreplace human rights," Senator Spena complained. "On the contrary,human rights must be the central point for the foreign policy." [Kronosagency (Italy) 1/8]
Three persons were executed in the first week of the year, Iran dailysaid recently, in three separate murder cases.
The paper said the men were hung in Tehran's Qasr prison on Monday,after their convictions were handed down by Tehran courts. [Iran daily,1/7]
Amnesty International said that publicly-announced executions more thandoubled in 1996, rising to 110 last year from 50 in 1995. Many of the deathsentences were carried out after unfair trials, the London-headquarteredhuman rights group said. The true number of executions "may be muchhigher," the group said, because "many executions are never reported."[AP, 1/7]
FDI catalogued 112 executions for 1996, basing its count on public Iranianmedia and reports from opposition groups. Opposition accounts were talliedonly when they gave the name of the victim, the place of execution, andan account of the case. A 113th well-documented case not included in theFDI tally involved a youth allegedly pushed to his death from the balconyof his parents 18th floor Tehran apartment, after a regime "moralssquad" broke up his birthday party.
Iran has hanged two men for spying for Israel and the United Statesand committing economic sabotage during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Tehrandailies reported. They said the two Iranians were hanged at Tehran's Qasrprison Jan. 1 after their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Courtin December.
Hedayatollah Zendehdel, a Jewish businessman who converted to Islam,and Muslim businessman Abolqassem Majd-Abkahi, were sentenced to deathin July on charges involving alleged economic fraud during the 1980-88war and passing military information to enemies of the Islamic Republic.A former air force officer, Abdolreza Yazdanshenas, was tried and convictedwith them. His execution has not been announced. [Iran daily 1/5/97]
Several dissident clerics have been released from special prisons, afterbeing severely tortured, representatives of a dissident clerical groupsaid.
Hojjat-ol eslam Shaikh Maki Akhound, an assistant to Grand AyatollahMohammad Shirazi, was released on Dec. 15, 1996. He was jailed on April29, 1994 and subsequently sentenced to a three year prison term. Eightother family members were arrested and detained for periods up to one monthin the meantime, allegedly to put pressure on him to confess to crimeshe had not committed.
Several other Shirazi followers were also released, although the gesturemay have been only a temporary reprieve aimed at demonstrator the harshnessof prison life. On Dec. 28, 1996, Hojjat-ol eslam Seyed Mehdi Shirazi andon Jan. 1, 1997 his older brother, Hojjat-ol eslam Seyed Murtadhaa Shiraziwere also released. And on Jan. 4, 1997, Hojjat-ol eslam Shaikh Mohammadal-Saffaar was also let go. He had been in jail since Nov. 11, 1995, andhad been severely beaten.
Shirazi supporters note that it is a preferred tactic of the secretpolice to temporarily release prisoners who have been tortured, so thattheir friends and supporters will "will hear the stories of tortureand feel the agony of torture and therefore think twice before criticizingthe regime or supporting a thought that contradicts one of the ideas ofthe regime." [Supporters of the Iranian Muslim Nation 1/5]
Former Intelligence boss Hojjat-ol eslam Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshari,who is also in charge of organizing Iranian pilgrims for the hajj, hasdefied a ban on political demonstrations during the yearly pilgrimage toMecca by promising to hold an anti-U.S. rally during this year's hajj.
Reyshari told clerics involved in organizing the hajj noted that thepolitical ceremony was not only an integral part of the Hajj, but was "themost important duty of Muslims." He said the anti-U.S. and anti-Israelirally, known as the "Disavowal of Infidels" rally, would be heldon April 17 in Mecca. [Xinhua 1/4]
During last year's hajj, Supreme Leader Khamene'i called the ceremony"the most important part" of the hajj for Iranian pilgrims. "Withoutthis ceremony," he said, "the hajj has no meaning. [Tehran Times4/15/96]
The UN General Assembly voted 79 to 30 to denounce violations of humanrights in the Islamic Republic last month, the 39th such condemnation sincethe advent of the Islamic Republic.
The resolution condemned "the high number of executions,""restrictions on the freedom of expression, thought, opinion and thepress," "widespread discrimination against women," "significanttoughening of criminal legislation," and the "harassment andpersecution [of] writers and members of the press" in Iran. [NCR statement,12/11/96]