Bahais Continue to be Arrested

Following Calls for ‘Revolutionary Execution’ of Detainees

As some religious leaders in Iran have called for “the utmost punishment” for detained ‎Bahais using state media resources, the confrontation with the followers of this belief has ‎intensified and yesterday such calls went deep into the country. Bahai leaders in ‎Vilashahr in the province of Isfahan were reported to have been arrested. ‎

The news website “Human Rights Activists in Iran” announced that according to its latest ‎reports, the leaders of the Vilashahr Bahai community in Isfahan were arrested. Their ‎names were listed as Hushmand Talebi and Mehran Zini, and Farhad Fardossian who is ‎said to be a member of the community. The news site reports that these individuals were ‎arrested by security-law-enforcement agents and transferred to the prison of the town, ‎while their conditions remains unknown.‎

In a related news story, it is reported that three other Bahais named Ali Ahmadi, Changiz ‎Derakhshan, and Ms Simin too have been arrested in the northern town of Ghaemshahr. ‎Prior to that, six leading members of the Iranian Bahai community were arrested, and ‎their names are Fariba Kamal Abadi, Jamaledin Khanjani, Afif Naimi, Saeed Rezai, ‎Behrouz Tavakoli and Vahid Tizfahm. Mahvash Sabet, another Bahai leader was arrested ‎earlier in March in the city of Mashhad. All of these seven last members comprised the ‎leadership of the sect in Iran.‎

These new arrests follow the claims by Iranian authorities that the Bahais had been ‎arrested because of their anti state activities that threatened national security. Elham the ‎spokesperson for the Iranian government had said in his weekly meetings with the media ‎that “these individuals had been arrested because they had engaged in activities against ‎the security of the state and had been in contact with foreigners particularly Zionists.”‎

Seyed Ahmadi El Alhodi, the Friday prayer leader of the city of Mashhad had recently ‎publicly called for the “revolutionary execution of the Bahai-Israeli spies”. According to ‎Shabestan news agency, this cleric said that Bahaism was not a religion and claimed that ‎‎“Bahaism was neither a religion nor even an idea” adding how could he accept these ‎‎“Israeli soldiers whose hands were stained with the blood of millions of people be ‎allowed to freely move around the Iran and, by taking advantage of a group of political ‎deviants and loose women and sex-driven boys, engage in collecting signatures to destroy ‎Islamic laws by engaging in any criminal activity.”‎

Elm Al Hodi further said that the harshest revolutionary punishment should be imposed ‎on the members of this Satanic group, calling on the judiciary of Iran to forcefully ‎confront this espionage movement without any heed to the wishes of the US and … , as ‎the group engaged in espionage behind the backs of the intelligence community of the ‎country

Larijani Won Over Haddad-Adel

Conservatists Agreed on Eight Majlis Leadership

Alborz MahmudiWith the first official meeting of the Majlis (Iranian parliament) elected conservatists, ‎PM Ali Larijani succeeded to win the race to lead the next Majlis over his rival, the ‎incumbent Haddad-Adel, almost ensuring his official confirmation when the Majlis ‎officially holds its first session. The next Majlis, the eight since the 1979 Islamic ‎revolution formally begins its work this Tuesday. With Larijani in the saddle, the second ‎non-cleric will take over the Majlis leadership since its birth.‎
The last session of the seventh Majlis was held last week, after which some of the new ‎legislatures to the eight Majlis came to the building to hold the first general meeting of ‎the conservative MPs. The key item on the agenda was to reach agreement on the ‎leadership of the next Majlis. Prior to the meeting, the conservatists had agreed to ‎unofficially vote to determine the new Speaker so as to avoid taking the issue to the ‎Majlis floor. Current incumbent Speaker Haddad-Adel and Ali Larijani were pinned ‎against each other and each had agreed to concede through the elections.‎
According to state-run Fars news agency, 227 conservatists who have formed a group ‎called the Principalists (Osoolgaran) gathered and for 30 minutes heard the two ‎candidates to the Speakership of the legislature, Larijani and Adel. Then came the votes. ‎Some of the MPs did not vote, while seven cast a blank ballot. Larijani got 161 votes ‎while Adel secured a mere 50, confirming the prediction of Alef news website that ‎Larijani was the choice of the majority of the conservatists.‎
Tabnak website, which is closely affiliated with former Passdaran commander Mohsen ‎Rezai, and supported the alliance of Larijani, Qalibaf and Rezai, wrote this following ‎Larijani’s victory; “In view of the 220 representatives that were present, one may ‎conclude that the official election of the new Majlis Speaker has been finalized.” ‎According to the site, “Ali Larijani, the representative of the Leader of the state in the ‎National Security Council (NSC) of Iran, who had been removed as the secretary of the ‎NSC seven months earlier, was the leading figure from the conservative critics of the ‎administration. He received the first public support from Amir Ali Amiri, the secretary of ‎the Osoolgaran Faragir (Extended Principalists) group on behalf of the group soon after ‎the first round of Majlis elections last April. But Larijani’s support went beyond the ‎conservative critics of the administration and included traditional conservatists and even ‎supporters of the administration, all of which helped him secure his victory.”‎
Raja news website, which is recognized to be a pro-administration website, expressed its ‎satisfaction with Larijani’s victory in the internal voting, and wrote, “Larijani is the ‎candidate of the Principalists to be Majlis Speaker.” The website added that this internal ‎vote should be conclusive for everyone and no personal views should be presented at the ‎official voting in the Majlis for the post.” In its commentary over the voters for the two ‎candidates, the site reminded its readers that in these internal trial elections, in addition to ‎the conservatists critical of the administration, two other political factions, from amongst ‎three that form the government coalition, supported Haddad-Adel.‎

More Changes in Passdaran Revolutionary Guards

Hejazi to Succeed Rezai

Arash SigarchiLess than two years since the changes that were made by ayatollah Khamenei in the ‎leadership of the Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps, that involved deputy Passdaran ‎Commander Morteza Rezai, the vast changes that were launched by the Leader of Iran in ‎the Passdaran force that began in the middle of last year continue. In the most recent ‎change, Passdar General seyed Mohammad Hosseinzadeh Hejazi replaced Rezai, ‎indicating that the reshuffling still continues also confirming that Rezai was merely a ‎temporary appointment. The deputy Passdar Commander is appointed by the ‎confirmation of the Leader of the Islamic state on the recommendation of the ‎Commander of the Passdaran.‎

Simultaneously, ayatollah Khamenei also appointed a new deputy for coordination of ‎Passdaran force. ‎
On November 24th, 2006 Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr left the Passdaran and joined ‎Ahmadinejad’s administration to become the vice minister for security at the ministry of ‎the interior. That situation changed “in a suspicious manner”, in the words of Etemad ‎newspaper on December 8, 2006, leading to his resignation. When Zolghadr left, ‎ayatollah Khamenei appointed Morteza Rezai as the new deputy commander of the ‎Passdaran. While this change was important, observers underscored the importance of the ‎change when ayatollah Khamenei last year removed Yahya Rahim Safavi who had been ‎the commander of the Passdaran for 8 consecutive years and replaced him with ‎Mohammad Ali Jaafari.‎

It was in light of these reshuffles that ayatollah Khamenei ordered that Basij para-military ‎resistance force come under the full command of the Passdaran thus reducing the force to ‎the deputy level under Passdaran.‎

Because ayatollah Khamenei did not appoint a successor for Zolghadr when he left the ‎Passdaran post for the ministry of the interior, rumors spread that he was not keen on ‎appointing Morteza Reza to the vacant post at the Passdaran. But in May of 2006, ‎Khamenei made that appointment and put Rezai in the number two seat of the force.‎

Morteza Rezai is among the seven individuals who 2 days into the victory of the 1979 ‎revolution raised the idea creating a Passdaran Revolutionary Guards force. Of the seven, ‎most were either been killed in the war or left the Passdaran such as Mohsen Rezai who ‎is now in the State Expediency Council. But Mohsen Rezai stayed on for years as the ‎head of the Passdaran’s intelligence unit and remains, according to observers, to be ‎among the most powerful commanders of the force.‎

Still, with this recent appointment by ayatollah Khamenei, Mohsen Rezai gives his post ‎to Hejazi, who is viewed to be very close to the Leader of the Islamic regime.‎

Hejazi is not unknown to the reformists. When the reformers were in power, Hejazi was ‎in charge of the para-military Basij force and many of them view him to be responsible ‎for the headaches of the Khatami administration. He has been held responsible for ‎supporting the idea of the Basij intruding into political issues, and passively supporting ‎the participation of Basij members in strike groups known as Ansare Hezbollah.‎

Speaker Adel’s Behavior is Unfortunate

Judiciary’s Response to Majlis’ Report:

Two days ago as a Majlis’ investigative report over the work of the judiciary was read out objections were raised over its reading by members of Iran’s parliament and those of the judiciary. On the other hand, this event resulted in the judiciary’s decision to confront corruption starting with the Majlis itself. As a result, one of the MPs who had an ethics scandal legal suit in the courts was summoned to the court, interrogated and subsequently arrested.

According to a reporter of Asr-e Iran website who was present at the court hearing, the MP, who was under interrogation from 12pm (on Tuesday) was confronted with numerous women who had been summoned to the hearing in which they testified against the legislator, claiming violations, trespass etc. After several hours of interrogations, the MP was driven off to the notorious Evin prison in northern Tehran. Asre-Iran did not name the MP, but there had been reports in the past that this seventh Majlis deputy had been under investigation for “ethical corruption” and “harassment” issues.

Farda news website too mentioned this measure by the judiciary to be “most rapid response” and added, “The Tehran court launched the most rapid response to demands for an unqualified confrontation with those involved in ethical violations and began its work by from the Majlis deputies.”

The investigative report over the judiciary was eventually read on the floor of the Majlis after a lapse of 3.5 years and contained a list of complaints.

The report touched on issues such as stoning, judges who lack legal training, judicial receipt of bribes, erroneous judgments leading to loss of life and property, financial ethical violations by judges, the lengthening of the dockets, and, bribes and embezzlement over some large bails, some of which were eventually dropped off from its final version. But still, the judiciary announced its objections to the reading of the report on the Majlis floor.

Another website, Tabnak which is close to former Passdaran revolutionary guards commander and current secretary of the State Expediency Council Mohsen Rezai called the report “a list of obsolete cases”. Tabnak made the claim that “while unofficial reports had spoken of important and vital information in the large legal suits in the original Majlis report, the final published version primarily reported what had already been covered by the media in the past and lacked any new details or judgments.

Opposing MPs left the Majlis FloorCommotion followed when the Majlis did not accept calls by MPs to summon the minister of commerce. In that session, there were no scheduled bills to be reviewed, representative Saeed Abutalebi from Tehran was busy working on his film about Majlis deputies, so as Majlis’ report on ethical corruption the judiciary was read out, “the Majlis’ order broke up and deputies were seen freely walking in and out of the session while some clearly left the Majlis altogether in protest when the report on the judiciary began to be read.”

Majlis representative Dehgan who is also a member of the investigative committee that prepared the report read out the report which said “None of the 300 questions raised by the investigative committee were replied to by the judiciary”. He further said that “in 11 provinces of Iran, 1271 drug traffickers never returned to prison while they were on their temporary leaves during their detention. Some of these convicts had been sentenced to life terms and many engaged in drug trafficking activities after their escape.”

Official Response from JudiciaryAs the report was being read out, the head of Iran’s judiciary was visiting Kurdistan but still said this about the Majlis report: “The judiciary has many achievements in all fields.” Furthermore, judiciary spokesperson Jamshidi criticized Majlis speaker Haddad Adel on “insisting on reading the report” and called it a “sad event for the seventh Majlis”. He said the report had been based on “erroneous information and research founded on rumors and hearsay” and called it “beneath the stature of the Majlis”. Jamshidi further said. “The report was met by protests from a large group of Majlis deputies and the head and members of Majlis’ judiciary committee were against the public reading of the report because it had not been prepared according to legal rules, which is probably the best indicator of the righteousness of the judiciary” Jamshidi claimed. He further revealed that the report had never been officially put on the agenda of the Majlis. “For a report to be read out at the floor, half of the Majlis deputies must be present and the time allotted to the report had been exhausted. MPs unfortunately did not observe these breaches. Unfortunately, what we witnessed today was a hastily read out report which contained contextual and formal errors.”

He concluded his remarks by airing his complaints at the leadership of the Majlis, “Our other complaint is over the Speaker who leaves behind an unpleasant record of pursuing citizen’s rights in the seventh Majlis.” Referring to Majlis speaker’s comments that the reading of the report was for the authority and glory of the Majlis, Jamshidi said, “IT is unfortunate that Haddad Adel who possesses high stature, beliefs in God and righteousness should have insisted on reading out the report, and we consider this act to be below the dignity of the Majlis and the person of Haddad Adel.”

People Must React Too!

Increasing Crackdown on Bahai Community
A week into the arrest of six Bahai leaders in Iran, an interview published by hardliner ‎Fars news agency called for the “creation of a popular movement” to “confront and fight ‎Bahaism” so that the “government is not left alone in its confrontation against the Bahai ‎community.” ‎ The interview was held with Seyed Kazem Mousavi who is introduced as an analyst and ‎expert in contemporary Iranian history, in which he is quoted as saying “Bahais in Iran ‎are attempting to gain independence and legitimacy by being present in cultural and ‎economic fields and to infiltrate the power structure and other political spheres." ‎ Denouncing the “Bahai community's attempt to infiltrate the power structure in order to ‎gain access to regime’s secrets, reduce regime’s sensitivity to Bahai cult and downplay ‎dangers associated with this cult,” Mousavi added, “Currently, the Bahai community is ‎trying to hide its true face and pretend to be an ordinary and normal part of society. The ‎Bahai community is planning to attract the support of international organizations such as ‎Amnesty International to fulfill its mission.” ‎ Noting that Bahai followers “claim not to get involved in politics,” Mousavi claimed, ‎‎“This very non-interference in politics is itself a political move, designed to gain ‎immunity to freely and seriously participate in cultural and economic activities. Prior to ‎last winter’s Majlis elections, the leaders of the Bahai movement ordered their followers ‎to participate in elections. Some Bahai groups protested that decision, to which the Beit ‎al-Adl of Bahais responded by clarifying that it was not forbidden to participate in ‎elections and vote for independent candidates, just to support political parties.” ‎ This Fars news analyst finally declared, “The Bahai community is manipulated by the ‎Zionist regime and enjoys the support of Israel.” ‎ Fars news agency published this interview while several conservative websites attempted ‎to blame Bahai followers for last month’s explosion in a Shiraz mosque. According to ‎the reasoning of these websites, because the mosque where the explosion took place was ‎a meeting ground for some “anti-Bahai” activists, the Bahai followers were “seeking ‎revenge.” ‎ At that time, human rights activists warned against the consequences of these baseless ‎charges and predicted an intensified crackdown on the Bahai community in Iran. ‎
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PS. a friend send for me this photo :

Parliamentary Elections: Unfair and Corrupt

More Protests ‎ ‎

While former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami warned that irregularities in the ‎eight Majlis elections may become a “trend,” in its latest statement following the second ‎round of elections in several cities across Iran, the Committee for Defense of Free, ‎Healthy and Fair Elections characterized the eight Majlis elections as “not free, unfair, ‎and corrupt." ‎
Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, whose recent remarks in interviews with foreign media has ‎enraged some right-wingers in Iran, said in an interview about irregularities in the eight ‎Majlis elections, “The worry is mostly that this method will become a trend. We must all ‎fear this and stop it. If some act to undermine free election and the people’s freedom of ‎choice, they have done a very terrible thing.” ‎
Criticizing widespread disqualifications, Khatami added, “In two-thirds of races, one ‎party that is committed to Islam, Iran, and development and progress of this nation was ‎not allowed to introduce any candidates… I am glad that the dear head of the ‎Expediency Council and even the dear interior minister protest this and say that ‎fundamental reforms must be undertaken in this field (elections) and especially in ‎determining the criteria for qualification of candidates. Although I truly hope that this ‎remark does not mean that the dear interior minister will lose his post in the near future! ‎It is necessary that a comprehensive and complete report [of election irregularities] be ‎prepared and presented to the supreme leader and next Majlis to uncover the realities.” ‎

Coinciding with Khatami’s remarks, the Committee for Defense of Free, Healthy and ‎Fair Elections, which has as a member Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and other ‎prominent Iranian figures, released a statement with the completion of second round of ‎eight Majlis election. The statement notes, “Not taking into account systemic and legal ‎problems with the electoral system in Iran, and independent of irregularities witnessed ‎during the first round of eight Majlis elections (including: disqualification of candidates, ‎open support of some government institutions, radio and television in particular, for a ‎certain political faction, as well as the ballot-counting process), the Committee for ‎Defense of Free, Healthy and Fair Elections deems the second round of Majlis elections ‎not free, unfair and corrupt, and in line with the trend set with the irregularities as well as ‎unfair and corrupt processes in the first round.” ‎

The statement adds, “The second round of elections followed the corrupt, unfair and un-‎free trend of the previous round. Politicians, administrators and specially the supervisors ‎of the aforementioned elections completed this process by ignoring and failing to provide ‎reasonable and convincing responses to protests and calls by certain candidates and ‎parties to recount votes and provide accurate information and data from each ballot box ‎‎(including the number of cast and valid ballots, and number of ballots cast for each ‎individual candidate in the first and second rounds).” ‎

Democracy Possible for Iran, Says Dissident Iranian Journalist

But it will not grow in the same way as U.S. democracy, says Arash Sigarchi

By Jane MorseStaff Writer

Washington -- It is possible for democracy to take root in Iran, but it will not grow in the same way as democracy did in America, says Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian journalist who has been imprisoned for his outspokenness.

“Iran must gain democracy through ways other than the ways used in America,” he said in an interview with America.gov. “I think if you increase the people’s awareness and improve education of the Iranian people, they can gain democracy themselves very well.”

Sigarchi lives in the United States now, but in January 2005, he was imprisoned in Iran for discussing “censored” topics on his blogs.

In January 2007, he was granted a medical furlough to seek treatment for cancer. After his release, he spoke frequently to the foreign press and public about the repression of freedom of speech and the arrests of other journalists in Iran. He now fears for his life if he must return to his homeland.

Speaking through an interpreter to America.gov, Sigarchi said it might surprise the average American to know there is a democratic tradition in Iran, although it is nothing like that which developed in the United States.

Some 2,500 years ago, he said, Cyrus of the Achaemenid Empire, which included much of modern Iran, issued the first charter for human rights. “Even though democracy and human rights can hardly be imagined coming from a king, many kings in Iran’s past history have done this,” Sigarchi said.

“But if we set that history aside,” he said, “and look at the recent era, in the recent 100 years when we had the Constitutional Revolution take shape, we have experienced relative democracy in Iran every once in awhile. For example, the few years after the Constitutional Revolution and before Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power. Or we were beginning to feel democracy before the British-American 1953 coup overthrew Dr. Mohammad Mosadegh’s government. And the first two to three years after the 1979 revolution in Iran, there was sort of a democracy.”

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, which took place between 1905 and 1911, led to the establishment of an elected parliament. The revolution opened the way for significant changes in Iran, including greatly expanded press freedom and a proliferation of newspapers.

FIGHTING FOR FREE SPEECH

Now 30 years old, Sigarchi has spent most of his life as a journalist on the frontlines in the fight for freedom of speech in Iran.

As the editor of the daily newspaper Gilan Emrooz, he tried to sidestep censorship rules imposed on the print media by expressing dissent on government policies on the Internet and via blogs.

Blogging has become the communication medium of choice for many Iranians opposed to the current regime. Some estimates place the number of active Iranian blogs at as many as 100,000. According to Sigarchi, Iranians regard blogs as very accurate sources of news. “Usually in Iran, bloggers sign their real names,” he explained. “No one likes to spread lies with their real name.”

Sigarchi also used his blog postings to defend other bloggers who spoke out against the Iranian regime and who were arrested and beaten by Iranian authorities. Sigarchi himself was detained by police for posting both an article and photos of a dissident rally in Tehran, Iran, in 2004.

In January 2005, Sigarchi was arrested for espionage and for insulting the leaders of the Islamic Republic. Originally sentenced to 14 years in prison, his prison term was reduced to three years, which he did not complete due to the onset of cancer and a furlough to seek medical treatment.

“Last time, they sentenced me to 14 years; I think this time they will execute me,” he told America.gov when discussing the possibility of returning to Iran.

During his stay in the United States, he has expanded his Persian language Web blog and started an English language Web blog.

“My English blog is getting attention worldwide, and my friends in Iran read my Persian blog and say they can learn about my views without the threat from the regime,” Sigarchi said, adding he now can practice journalism “more freely and with ease of mind.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Sigarchi has completed a book on responsible journalism that he hopes to publish using his own finances. Entitled Local Journalism, the book is aimed at the estimated 3,000 newspapers and publications produced in Iran’s provinces. “They are not strong from a theoretical aspect,” Sigarchi said of these small news operations, “and I thought I could help them by publishing this book.”

Sigarchi also dreams of completing his law degree in the United States. He began his legal studies while in prison in Iran.

“One of my ideals is to study law here, or continue studying journalism, or to find work at important centers here and be able to provide them with my views as a journalist,” he said. Sigarchi believes he has earned his credentials as a dissident journalist. “I have fought a lot for freedom of speech, for human rights in Iran,” he said. “I went to prison; I went to the point of death.”

I Have Solutions For Global Problems!

Ahmadinejad Tells Media:

‎In his most recent interview Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad not only denied the ‎existence of rising costs and hardships that ordinary Iranians face every day but even said ‎he had solutions for the world’s food crises problem.‎

‎“I think the living conditions of Iranians are better than in the past and say this based on ‎per capita consumption figures, just as the national purchasing power has increased as ‎well. But in general, the purchasing power in the country has risen during the last three ‎years,” he asserted.‎
At a press conference in which some one hundred domestic and international journalists ‎and reporters were present, Ahmadinejad said this in response to a question by Eghtesad ‎Pooya newspaper regarding ways to resolve the global economic crises, as he ignored the ‎dire straits that Iranians live on a daily basis, “It is true that the world is facing a drought, ‎but the food crises facing mankind is the result of mismanagement at the global level. We ‎have prepared solutions to resolve this crisis and shall present them at the next FAO ‎‎(UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization) meeting in Rome. I think our proposals ‎contain ways to resolve the issue so that nations will have sufficient amounts of food and ‎resources.”‎

Ahmadinejad is presenting his “proposals” for the world at a time when specialists and ‎experts in Iran and even a large number of right-wing Majlis representatives and Friday ‎prayer leaders (who in Iran exercise a great influence over public opinion) agree that the ‎country is facing very serious economic problems. Last week, even the Majlis Speaker ‎Haddad Adel and Larijani, who is widely tipped to be the next Speaker following last ‎month’s parliamentary elections spoke about the need for the next legislature to pay ‎special attention to the issue of inflation and rising prices.‎

To add to this growing criticism, even senior clerics of Iran who generally support ‎Ahmadinejad’s administration have been critical of sharply rising prices.‎

During this press interview, Ahmadinejad who has zero tolerance for any domestic ‎criticism, invited the next US President for a debate and said, “I am willing to debate with ‎the whole world watching with American presidential candidates who claim to manage ‎the world.” He again said that world powers had reached an impasse adding, “Political ‎relations in the world are based on bullying of the powerful and dominant powers and ‎conditions of the world are the result of these relations. They are not capable of solving ‎current problems and so everybody is in a complete impasse.”‎

A Lie for Security Reasons?

News of Arrest of Shiraz Bombing Perpetrators Published, with Delay

After repeated statements by security officials last month that the April 13th Shiraz ‎bombing was not terrorist related, now suddenly through separate interviews, security ‎officials are claiming they in fact are.‎

In this regard, Entekhab news website wrote, “In a meeting with the senior members of ‎Rahpooyan Vesal group and the surviving family members of the “martyrs” who died in ‎the Shiraz bombing, Interior Minister Mohammad Pourmohammadi announced that the ‎perpetrators of the terrorist bombing had been arrested.” The report continued, ‎‎“Pourmohammadi asserted that the reasons for not officially announcing the news were ‎certain security issues.” The official IRNA news agency wrote that Pourmohammadi had ‎said, “This explosion was an act of sabotage and the work of the enemies of the great ‎Iranian nation and the holly cursed individuals under the pretext of monarchism and with ‎the support of countries that claim to be defenders of human rights, of national rights and ‎of anti-terrorism.”‎

Minutes after the publication of this news, an interview with the Minister of Intelligence ‎of Iran was presented to ISNA, Fars and IRNA news agencies according to which the ‎minister declared that the Shiraz “bombing had been carried out by a terrorist group ‎connected to Western countries, particularly Britain and the US”. Referring to the ‎absence of an announcement on the issue in recent weeks, Minister Gholam Hossein Ejei ‎said, “One of the problems in making a news announcement on the event and the delay in ‎the announcement was because of efforts to detain the suspects. But with the ‎commencement of activities of intelligence bureaus in a number of provinces, such as ‎those in Fars, Tehran and Mazandaran, the principal perpetrators of this bombing have ‎been identified and their foreign contact has been arrested.”‎

Further accusing foreign elements in this regard, Ejei said, “The sabotage group which ‎had been connected to a number of Western countries, particularly the UK and the US, ‎was involved in terrorist activities in Iran for some years. And even though we sent very ‎good information about the group to these countries through our Foreign Ministry ‎indicating that the group was a terrorist group, they did not confront the issue and even ‎supported the group.”‎

Minutes after the publication of this news, ayatollah Dastgheib, an influential cleric from ‎Shiraz announced that officials had to apologize to the Iranian nation because they had ‎earlier denied that this bombing was terrorist related. Entekhab news website went event ‎further and while publishing Dastgheib’s remarks called for the resignation of the ‎governor, governor general and other senior officials of Fars province (where the ‎bombing took place) because they had repeatedly in the past denied that terrorist were ‎behind the event.‎

Soon after the bombing, the governor general of Shiraz went to the site and rejected any ‎possibility of terrorism and promised to arrest the perpetrators. By summoning cleric ‎Anjavinejad to the governor’s office, other provincial officials asked him not to take any ‎sides on the issue. At the national level too, many senior officials had denied that the ‎bombing was a terrorist event and attributed the explosions to “negligence” on behalf of ‎the Rahpooyan group that had organized the gathering at the mosque.‎

The explosion took place at a mosque in Shiraz which killed 14 individuals and left more ‎that 200 injured.‎

Khamenei Defends Ahmadinejad, Again ‎

‎“Inflation Prevalent All Over the World”

While many of the country’s officials blame the Ahmadinejad Administration’s “weak ‎management” for current “economic problems,” Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader ‎of the Islamic Republic, defended Ahmadinejad in a speech in Shiraz, claiming that ‎inflation is “prevalent all over the world” and dismissing economic problems as ‎‎“enemy’s” exaggeration.

According to the text of this speech, which was published by IRNA, Fars, and ISNA ‎news agencies, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader downplayed the nation’s economic ‎woes: “The enemy is waiting to use any problem to break the will of the Iranian nation. ‎Even natural disasters, even earthquakes, droughts or other things like high prices, which ‎are prevalent all over the world, are being used as tools to pressure the Iranian nation and ‎officials, and people must be clever about this. Last year too the enemy was trying to ‎disrupt the country’s economy and exaggerate the problems. The main way to combat ‎present economic problems is to have financial discipline, conserve, and refrain from ‎indulgence.” ‎

Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks come at time when many of the Islamic Republic’s ‎officials have blasted the government in recent weeks, particularly in regards to inflation. ‎Last week, ex-finance minister and one of Ayatollah Khamenei’s representatives in the ‎Expediency Council, Davoud Danesh-Jafari, blasted the administration for failing to ‎control inflation. He said, among other things, “Can one except the Central ‎Bank to ‎inject about to 60 billion Dollars into the economy - based on the 2007-2008 budget law ‎‎- ‎without any inflationary consequences on the economy?! If anyone knows how to do ‎that, he is welcome to try. Or, can you inject cash into the economy without increasing ‎inflation?! If anyone can do that, he is welcome to try.” ‎

In a separate speech, prominent Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, told members of the ‎Imam Khomeini Charity Fund: “People complain about inflation to us from all over the ‎country. They think if we bring up these issues we are weakening the government, but ‎that is not true. We believe the government is good but we must help it. The housing ‎crisis is getting out of control and people are enraged by other issues as well. If ‎economic problems are not solved they turn into political and cultural problems.” ‎

Another Grand Ayatollah, Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili, noted, “The resent inflation is ‎not about perceptions or slogans, but is a well-known reality. Today, all segments of ‎society are feeling the weight of inflation.” ‎

In addition, prominent conservative cleric and representative of Tehran in the Assembly ‎of Experts, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, criticized the Ahmadinejad administration’s ‎handling of inflation and “blaming of problems” on others. In a meeting of Friday prayer ‎leaders at the Mottahari Mosque, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani said, “In my meeting with Mr. ‎Ahmadinejad, I told him not to use us like tools. We were combatants before and after ‎the revolution and will fight whatever is against the interests of our religion and country.” ‎

Democracy Possible for Iran, Says Dissident Iranian Journalist

But it will not grow in the same way as U.S. democracy, says Arash Sigarchi

By Jane MorseStaff Writer

Washington -- It is possible for democracy to take root in Iran, but it will not grow in the same way as democracy did in America, says Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian journalist who has been imprisoned for his outspokenness.
“Iran must gain democracy through ways other than the ways used in America,” he said in an interview with America.gov. “I think if you increase the people’s awareness and improve education of the Iranian people, they can gain democracy themselves very well.”
Sigarchi lives in the United States now, but in January 2005, he was imprisoned in Iran for discussing “censored” topics on his blogs.
In January 2007, he was granted a medical furlough to seek treatment for cancer. After his release, he spoke frequently to the foreign press and public about the repression of freedom of speech and the arrests of other journalists in Iran. He now fears for his life if he must return to his homeland.
Speaking through an interpreter to America.gov, Sigarchi said it might surprise the average American to know there is a democratic tradition in Iran, although it is nothing like that which developed in the United States.
Some 2,500 years ago, he said, Cyrus of the Achaemenid Empire, which included much of modern Iran, issued the first charter for human rights. “Even though democracy and human rights can hardly be imagined coming from a king, many kings in Iran’s past history have done this,” Sigarchi said.
“But if we set that history aside,” he said, “and look at the recent era, in the recent 100 years when we had the Constitutional Revolution take shape, we have experienced relative democracy in Iran every once in awhile. For example, the few years after the Constitutional Revolution and before Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power. Or we were beginning to feel democracy before the British-American 1953 coup overthrew Dr. Mohammad Mosadegh’s government. And the first two to three years after the 1979 revolution in Iran, there was sort of a democracy.”
The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, which took place between 1905 and 1911, led to the establishment of an elected parliament. The revolution opened the way for significant changes in Iran, including greatly expanded press freedom and a proliferation of newspapers.
FIGHTING FOR FREE SPEECH
Now 30 years old, Sigarchi has spent most of his life as a journalist on the frontlines in the fight for freedom of speech in Iran.

Iranians at an Internet café in Tehran (© AP Images)
As the editor of the daily newspaper Gilan Emrooz, he tried to sidestep censorship rules imposed on the print media by expressing dissent on government policies on the Internet and via blogs.
Blogging has become the communication medium of choice for many Iranians opposed to the current regime. Some estimates place the number of active Iranian blogs at as many as 100,000. According to Sigarchi, Iranians regard blogs as very accurate sources of news.
“Usually in Iran, bloggers sign their real names,” he explained. “No one likes to spread lies with their real name.”
Sigarchi also used his blog postings to defend other bloggers who spoke out against the Iranian regime and who were arrested and beaten by Iranian authorities. Sigarchi himself was detained by police for posting both an article and photos of a dissident rally in Tehran, Iran, in 2004.
In January 2005, Sigarchi was arrested for espionage and for insulting the leaders of the Islamic Republic. Originally sentenced to 14 years in prison, his prison term was reduced to three years, which he did not complete due to the onset of cancer and a furlough to seek medical treatment.
“Last time, they sentenced me to 14 years; I think this time they will execute me,” he told America.gov when discussing the possibility of returning to Iran.
During his stay in the United States, he has expanded his Persian language Web blog and started an English language Web blog.
“My English blog is getting attention worldwide, and my friends in Iran read my Persian blog and say they can learn about my views without the threat from the regime,” Sigarchi said, adding he now can practice journalism “more freely and with ease of mind.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Sigarchi has completed a book on responsible journalism that he hopes to publish using his own finances. Entitled Local Journalism, the book is aimed at the estimated 3,000 newspapers and publications produced in Iran’s provinces. “They are not strong from a theoretical aspect,” Sigarchi said of these small news operations, “and I thought I could help them by publishing this book.”
Sigarchi also dreams of completing his law degree in the United States. He began his legal studies while in prison in Iran.
“One of my ideals is to study law here, or continue studying journalism, or to find work at important centers here and be able to provide them with my views as a journalist,” he said.
Sigarchi believes he has earned his credentials as a dissident journalist. “I have fought a lot for freedom of speech, for human rights in Iran,” he said. “I went to prison; I went to the point of death.”