In his first major address to the nation since his May 23 election, Mohammad Khatemi told a crowd at the June 5th commemoration of Ayatollah Khomeini's 15th Khordad expulsion from Iran in 1963, that the government must respect the rule of law, and that the "civil society" in Iran must be further developed.
Referring to the role of the Majlis, Khatemi said that while Parliament performed an important oversight role, "The public can also defend its rights and monitor its affairs by setting up, expanding and strengthening civil organs, legal organizations and groups and parties... and through a thinking and critical press."
He also placed emphasis on the rule of law. "All of us - both the government and the people - must strive to respect the law. All of us must perform our duties within the framework of the law. The law has specified the people's rights. The law has also defined the limits of the government's authority.... No faction or group has the right to impose its will and preferences, no matter how benevolent and well-intentioned they may be, on other people outside the limits of the law." [Internatonal Iran Times, 6/13]
While Khatemi appeared to break new ground in his appeal, he has been repeatedly taken to task by conservative elements within the regime, as other reporting in this week's newswire shows
Key leaders in Parliament have warned President-elect Mohammad Khatemi that he will face strong opposition from the Majlis, if he attempts to go against their wishes in his choices for key Cabinet positions..
Ali Movahedi Savoji, a top supporter of Majlis speaker Nateq-Nouri, said Khatemi would have "no problem" if he appointed Cabinet members from all factions, but warned him to "stage close negotiations with the Majlis" on his Cabinet picks. In particular, Savoji said, Khatemi should retain Velayati as Foreign Minister, since "it would take at least four years for a new foreign minister to be in full authority of this ministry." [IRNA 6/11]
The Tehran daily Salam, which strongly supported Khatemi during the election campaign, warned that the conservative faction in the Majlis "is getting ready for a serious confrontation with the president-elect" over his [Salam 6/11]
Majlis deputy Mohsen Yahyavi told Iran News that Parliament expected Khatemi to send his Cabinet nominees to Parliament for consultations prior to officially nominating them, "to maintain the tradition of his predecessors." The paper cited rumors that Central Bank Governor Mohsen Nurbakhsh and Tehran Mayor Gholamhussein Karbaschi were being cited as potential Cabinet picks. [Iran News 6/12]
Two hard-line newspapers have issued clear warnings to President-elect Khatemi not to take his campaign rhetoric about human rights, the rule of law and democracy too seriously. On June 7, Kayhan and Jomhouri-e Eslami, the mouthpieces of the Information Ministry and Khamene'i respectively, called these notions "western conceptions certainly not those of the Islamic revolution."
In a reference to Khatemi's campaign rhetoric, Kayhan complained of politicians who "discuss ideas such as human rights, the role of the people, democracy, freedom. These notions only please the Westerners and the enemies of the Islamic revolution. Such position is a blatant diversion from the ideals of the Islamic revolution."
Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of outgoing president Hashemi-Rafsanjani, believes "women should certainly be present in the cabinet," although she noted that "so far, there have been no discussion with me. The objective of my activities has been to enhance the status of women. I hope women participate in the cabinet."
There is strong speculation that she will be appointed to the new cabinet of Khatemi. If chosen, she would be the first woman minister since inception of the Islamic Republic. [Akbar 6/8]
Ten senior Iranian government officials, all close to outgoing president Rafsanjani, said on June 14 they would form a new political party within the next two months. If they carry out their pledge, it will directly challenge the 1987 ban on political parties.
The founders of the new party are the six members of the pro-Rafsanjani Servants of Construction Group, Abdallah Nouri (the former Interior Minister and candidate for Majlis speaker), Majlis MPs Faezeh Hashemi (daughter of the president) and Seyed Hussein Marashi, and Deputy Oil minister, Ali Hashemi.
Massoud Behnood, a political analyst in Tehran, told the BBC's Persian Service that the new party could be expected to follow the policies of President Rafsanjani would try to contain economic policies of the leftist supporters of Mr. Khatemi. [BBC Persian Service, 6/14]
The daily Jomhouri-e Eslami has reported that the reelection of Nateq-Nouri as Majlis speaker went uncontested because it was Ayatollah Khamenei's wish. "The view of the leader of the revolution was the reason that we made Mr. Nateq-Nouri a candidate for the post of the Majlis speaker," Tehran Deputy Abdallah Nouri told the paper. Nouri said he was asked not mount a challenge to Nateq-Nouri's speakership.
"According to an earlier decision, the Majlis Hezbollah Assembly (majma') had chosen me as the candidate for the post of speaker, but once the view of the exalted leader was known that the post of the speaker should go to Mr. Nateq-Nouri, I withdrew my candidacy and acted accordingly," Abdallah Nouri said.
Referring to the way he got word of Khamenei's wishes, he said: "I went to see his excellency and there were matters of expediency on his excellency's mind and he informed me that it should be this way." Nouri also alluded to the upcoming battle over Khatemi's cabinet confirmation and said that "if the majority of deputies decide to stand against Mr. Khatemi's cabinet, he will certainly have difficulties, but if the deputies coordinate themselves with Mr. Khatemi there will not be much trouble [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 6/2]
Nouri was the only challenger in the race for the Majlis speakership last year, but lost by a wide margin.
For all those who were under the illusion that the public voted for Khatemi hoping to enjoy more personal freedom and openness under his presidency, Resalat has some news for you. "The people have voted, first and foremost, for religious ideals, the Islamic Republic, and their country's independence. The propaganda by some in the Western media on the elections stemmed from their wrong assessments of the Islamic Revolution and of the people of Iran."
Resalat, which backed Nateq-Nouri in his bid for presidency, is generally happy with Khatemi's performance in his first press conference. The editorial adds "we should see if the principled and clear stands which rose from a man like Khatemi, who is committed to the system, the revolution and the Leader in his meeting with the world's mass media has made us happy? By us we mean all those who did not vote for him. If we are happy and satisfied, then we should definitely know that we have a healthy heart, and we think that all those whose heart beats for Islam, the system, the leadership, and the country's progress must be happy and satisfied with yesterday's remarks." [5/28]
Former Revolutionary Guards minister Mohsen Rafiq-doust, who currently heads the multi-billion dollar state-controlled conglomerate, Bonyad-e Mostazafan, has recently increased his personal security, Salam daily reported recently.
"The way Mr. Rafiqdoust moves on the autoroutes in Tehran is not compatible with his position as chairman of a foundation," the paper said. "A great number of vehicles and motorcycles escort his Mercedes when he moves around the capital. What is the reason for this unusual measure?" [Salam 6/10]
One of Khatemi's first acts as president-elect was to reassure the regime and its clerical supporters, by opening a congress in Tehran on the revival of Islamic thought under Khomeini.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Tehran on June 1, Khatemi said Khomeini's doctrine persuaded the world to return to religion and divine values. "The late Imam's Revolution was the accomplishment of a move to build a civilized society based on religion, whereas the West founded its civilization by turning its back on religion,'' he said.
Nevertheless, Khatemi also got in a subtle at Khamene'i, saying that in Khomeini's view an individual has the right to determine his fate and is not expected to merely obey the orders of the authorities. He added that both men and women should exercise this right. [Iran News, 6/2]
The commander of the Basij forces, Rev. Guards Brigadier Afshar, told a Tehran press conference on June 11 that the Basij will give military training to more than 2 million Iranian boys and girls this summer at camps located throughout the country.
General Afshar said that 20,000 Basij force bases have been mobilized for the purpose, and would focus on military training, sports, religious teachings, as well as art, cultural, and historical sight-seeing. He said that 120 sports and cultural clubs, as well as 1004 mosques, would cooperate with the Basij for its summer programs. [Tehran Radio 6/11]
Ansar-e Hezbollah leader, Rev. Guards Brigadier General Hossein Allah Karam, has now stated in public that Supreme Guide Ali Khamene'i instructed his group to break up pro-Khatemi rallies during the election campaign, and that all of his actions "were in accordance with my obedience to Ayatollah Khamene'i."
In a prepared statement, which was printed in full in Kayhan and Resalat dailies, Allah Karam further explained the goals of his organization, which he referred to as Hezbollah, thus identifying it clearly with the regime's separation of the world into the Supporters of God (Hezbollah) and Supporters of the Devil (Taghout). (See the statement by FDI Board member Ayatollah Mehdi Rouhani in this regard).
The day before the presidential vote, Karam declared that "for Khatemi to be elected, he must first pass over my dead body." After Khatemi's victory, Salam replied that "The people passed, but no one realized they were walking over a dead body." [Iran Press Service, 6/2)
"1) With its presence in the election arena, the Hezbollah led all the groups and factions involved to adopt principled slogans and declare their commitment to the absolute guardianship of the supreme jurisconsult, Grand Ayatollah Khamene'i. This proves that nonreligious slogans have no place in our Islamic society. For our part, we consider adherence to the Velayat-e faqih of the era [Khamene'i] as being the only factor which can bring about true popularity.
2) The Hezbollah asks God to bear testimony to the fact that it has been carrying out its duties with the sole aim of obeying the vice-regent of the Imam of the Age [the 12th Shiite Imam]. Today, the Hezbollah continues on this path and, instead of entering into arguments and quarrels with certain ignorant individuals, it is prepared to endure all the ongoing insults and slander so as to ensure that the enemies will be unable to reap any benefit and the biased elements will be deprived of any opportunity to attain their aims. Our task is made joyous and sweet by these very lofty aspirations.
3) Today, the esteemed leader and the Muslim people of Iran are awaiting the fulfillment of the promises given at the time of the election and also the materialization of all the slogans declared at that time. At this juncture, when the leadership and the people are looking forward to the future, the Hezbollah, for its part, considers itself to be duty bound to be present on the scene and carefully observe the trend of materialization of the Islamic promises given at the election time. [Resalat, Kayhan, 6/1]
Hossein Allah Karam was responding, in part, to a court summons he received for speeches he made during the election campaign that were deemed "offensive" and "insulting" to candidate Mohammad Khatemi. After the complaint against him was handed over to the Tehran Special Judicial Complex [Mojtama'-e vizhe-he qaza'i-ye Tehran], he was summoned to court and an order for his prosecution was issued. Allah Karam was accused of "spreading lies" about Khatemi. [Salam, 5/22]
President-elect Mohammad Khatemi needs to get his priorities straight, a key regime cleric said one week after his election.
Addressing a Friday prayer ceremony, in Tehran, Ayatollah Jannati exhorted the president-elect: "Mr. Khatemi! You must first pay attention to God, second to the Leader, third to the Islamic Republic, and fourth to the people." [Radio Tehran, 5/30].
Some Khatemi supporters believe the order should be reversed.
Radio Israel, in reporting Ayatollah Jannati's remarks, quoted "informed political sources" who called Jannati's statement a warning to Mr. Khatemi not to step out of bounds in his calls for democratization. [Kol Israel 5/30]
Other conservative dailies also warned Khatemi not to step out of bounds. "The new President must obey the Islamic Republic and the Velayat-e faghih," Kayhan warned in an editorial [5/31].
Resalat went even further in its commentary on the elections. "We warn the followers of Mr. Khatemi not to insist on their victory, since this insistence might create negative jealousies and could harm Mr. Khatemi." In particular, the paper warned, liberalization moves by Khatemi could prompt the Majlis to "stop the process." [Resalat 5/31]
Resalat's comments came after Ibrahim Yazdi, the leader of the Liberation Movement of Iran, called on Khatemi to repay voters who gave him a landslide victory by loosening the strict Islamic laws by the clerical regime. "You are now deeply indebted to the people, and committed in the eyes of God, history and the nation," said Yazdi to the Associated Press. [5/28]
Jailed Iranian journalist Faraj Sarkuhi is slated to go on trial early this summer, on trumped up charges. Sarkuhi's arrest late last year aroused a furor among Iranian journalists and was widely protested by foreign governments and international human rights organizations.
On June 5, the editors of three major Parisian daily newspapers - Le Monde, La Croix-L'Evenement, and Libération - sent an appeal to Iran's president-elect Mohammad Khatemi to release Sarkuhi. The letter, sent at the request of Reporters without Frontiers asks Khatemi "to use his influence toward the release of Faraj Sarkuhi, (...) who has been jailed because of his commitment to the freedom of the press in Iran."
The three remind Khatemi that "during the campaign for the presidential election, you made a pledge in favor of the freedom of expression and human rights in your country."
"It is thanks to you, when you were the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, that the Iranian press was able to enjoy unprecedented freedom," the letter reads.
Faraj Sarkuhi, arrested for the last time on January 27, has ostensibly charged with "attempting to leave the country illegally." The journalist had already been held in solitary confinement for 47 days in November 1996.
The French League of Human Rights expressed its concern for "the uncertain future" of Faraj Sarkuhi on June 5. [AFP 6/5]
According to former president Abolhassan Banisadr, Sarkuhi's trial could start in early to mid-June [Munich Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 5/31]
Iranian pharmacologist and Islamic thinker Abdolkarim Soroush was blasted in the Tehran press for having spoken out on CNN shortly after the presidential elections in favor of greater freedom. "The outcome of the elections was a big No to all that is happening in our society, especially as far as freedom is concerned," Soroush said.
The conservative Resalat daily called Soroush's comments "a brief summary of the poisonous propaganda by Western media against the Islamic system," and reminded Soroush that "the person who was elected by the Iranian nation is a Seyed [descendant of the Prophet], a clergyman, and the son of an Ayatollah" who furthermore "had the support of the Militant Clerics." [Resalat 5/29]
After two Iranian writers Mohammad Ali Eslami Nadushan and Mehdi Parham, published articles in Ettelaat singing Khatemi's praises, Kayhan openly threatened to disclose "in a documented manner" details from the person lives that could prove embarrassing or even lead to the imprisonment. "Shall not these two men learn from Saidi Sirjani's fate?"
Sirjani, a renowned Iranian writer, died two years ago ostensibly from a heart attack while in the custody of the Information ministry. [Iran Press Service, 6/8]
The daughter of a prominent Tehran lawyer, Mohammad Assadi, has confirmed earlier reports that her father was recently sentenced to death. Assadi has been in a Tehran jail for the past four years. [FDI 6/14]
Also last week, the People's Fedayeen Organization of Iran declared that three of its members - Hassan Kariminia, Mehrdad Ehsani, and Saeid Javadi - who have been in jail for the past six years, have also been sentenced to death. Two months earlier, two other members of the organization - Mohammad Reza Rasti and Heshmat Khodadad - were executed, the group said.
In a dispatch from Tehran entitled "Crisis for Iran's Intellectuals," Newsday reporter Nicholas Goldberg writes on the chilling effect on Iranian intellectuals of a terror campaign unleashed by government security forces.
The murder of writer Ibrahim Zalzadeh, whose stabbed body turned up at the morgue in Tehran, is only the last in a long chain of murders and disappearances directed at Iran's independent writers and publishers, Goldberg writes. Zalzadeh, whose magazine was closed after the government cut its supply of newsprint, told friends he felt threatened by the government. "What's more, his death came in the wake of similar misfortunes that have befallen writers and intellectuals such as Ghaffar Hosseini, Ahmad Mir-Allai and Ahmad Taffazouli, among others," Goldberg writes. "In all, more than a half-dozen of Iran's intellectual elite have been mysteriously killed in the past two years here."
His description of what happens to books that do not make it through the office of the censors is funny, yet emblematic of the kind of today's Iran. "Perhaps nothing is as eerily symbolic of what's going on as the pulping of books. It's happened on numerous occasions: The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance takes books that have already been printed, but not yet distributed, and they hold them in a warehouse while reviewing the content. If they decide the book should not be allowed into the stores, they take all existing copies - in one case, there were 11,000 of them - and bring them by truck to a cardboard plant, where they are washed in a big pot to get the ink off. The pages are then shredded, and finally are cooked into a paste. The paste is then recycled into cardboard."
Goldberg reports how entire books are "copied unofficially and passed hand-to-hand through Tehran. Underground newsletters are distributed by fax." One person in the publishing business is quoted as saying "self-censorship is extremely common. First, the writers kill their own creativity and suppress their talent so their books will be acceptable to the regime, and then the editor makes further changes. You can imagine what the result is."
Abbas Maroufi, whole magazine, Gardoun, was closed down for supposedly criticizing the regime and insulting its leaders believes that "the regime is determined not to see the reality that is before them. They know that writers are like a mirror, and that if you let them write, you cannot any longer ignore the reality. "
One publisher tells Goldberg that "he had 35 books - some with thousands of copes already printed, others in manuscript form - currently gathering dust in the office of the censors at what is euphemistically know as the 'Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.'" [Newsday, 6/2]
Swiss lawmakers, emboldened by the Mykonos trial in Berlin and the exposure of the Austrian cover-up of Iranian government involvement in the murder of Iranian Kurdish leaders in Vienna, have demanded that a Swiss court try two Iranian agents in absentia for the murder of Kazem Rajavi, a senior member of the Mujahedin Khalq organization and brother of MEK leader, Masood Rajavi.
Eugene David, chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Human Rights, told the Associated Press there was 10 times more evidence than in the German case. [AP, 6/13]
The accused, Mohsen Sharif and Ahmad Taheri, were arrested after the murder in Paris. But the French government sent the two back to Iran instead of extraditing them to Switzerland, despite pleas from Swiss authorities. The French gave no explanation for their action other than saying it was in their "national interest."
A leading opposition figure in Tehran, retired General Amir-Rahimi, has reportedly told an exile opposition journalist that the Iranian armed forces have reacted in "dissatisfaction mixed with silence" to Khatemi's election.
In an interview conducted by Homayoun Moghaddam, an exile journalist who also publishes a weekly opposition news bulletin in Germany, Amir-Rahimi said that Khatemi "has no authority at all," and reasserted his call for a republican form of government in Iran. "When [Khatemi] says he will obey the Velayat-e Faghih, we can understand... that the president is occupying a job, nothing more. First, the country shall be a real Republic." [Navid, 6/2/97]
In a pre-election editorial, ³Exploitation in the Name of Relief,² Iran News sharply criticized the Iranian foreign ministry for allowing the U.S. to portray itself as ³benevolent and kindhearted" for having responded to the humanitarian needs of earthquake victims.
The editorial took issue with US Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns' explanation of the earthquake relief aid, when he said: "We have our disagreements with the Iranian Government but we don't have any arguments with the people of Iran."
³What Burns and his bosses in Washington have still to learn is that not only the government in Tehran, but the entire Iranian nation has 'arguments' with them,² the editorial claimed.
³And to our own Foreign Ministry we would like to ask whether $100,000 is really that important to us? Why has the Ministry kept silent before the US official's derogatory remark? We expected the Foreign Ministry to brief the concerned officials in the Government, and a big 'NO' should have been the response to the US.² [5/15]