27.11.2007 - Source: Guardian

Nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian cleared of spying for Britain but convicted of acting against the Islamic authorities; sentence is believed to target Mousavian's stance of compromise towards Western countries and his association to former president Hashemi Rafsanjani ("Iranian court clears former nuclear adviser of spying") [ID 22072]

Document(s): Open document

07.11.2007 - Source: Iran Focus

Supreme leader Khamenei urged police to keep up its crackdown on social vice ("Iran leader urges police to keep up social vice crackdown") [ID 22060]

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Presidential Elections in June 2005: Exclusion of candidates, bomb attacks and armed opposition against the authorities ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 18809]

"The political stalemate of the previous year continued until the election of a new president in June. Over 1,000 presidential candidates were excluded from the election by the Council of Guardians, which reviews laws and policies to ensure that they uphold Islamic tenets and the Constitution. All 89 women candidates were excluded on the basis of their gender under discriminatory selection procedures known as gozinesh. There were reports of arrests of people demonstrating against the elections. Up to 10 people were killed in separate pre-election bomb attacks in Ahvaz and Tehran, and six others were killed in a bomb attack in Ahvaz in October. The authorities faced armed opposition from Kurdish and other groups. The election as President of former Revolutionary Guard Special Forces member Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took office in August, completed the marginalization of pro-reform supporters from the political process and led to a concentration of power in the Office of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei. In October, the Supreme Leader delegated some of his supervisory powers over the government to the Expediency Council, headed by defeated presidential candidate Hojjatoleslam AliAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani."

Document(s): Open document

04.08.2005 - Source: International Crisis Group

Report on implications of Ahmadinejad's victory in presidential elections ("Iran: What Does Ahmadi-Nejad's Victory Mean?; Middle East Briefing No. 18") [#34813], [ID 8188]

Document(s): Open document

08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Overview ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41317], [ID 8189]

"[...]
The regression of political and civil liberties in Iran accelerated in 2004 as the hard-line clerical establishment seized control of parliament from reformers through sham elections and launched heavy-handed campaigns to combat “social corruption” and to silence dissent. Although widespread public apathy and record oil receipts enabled Iran’s theocratic regime to impose its authority without sparking significant political unrest, its power play was squarely out of step with popular opinion and some Iranians remained cautiously optimistic that this attempt to turn back the clock on reform would not stand in the long run. Tensions between Iran and the West increased substantially after Tehran reneged on an October 2003 agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to suspend key components of its suspected nuclear weapons program.[...]"

Document(s): Open document

25.05.2005 - Source: Amnesty International

Political Developments ("Annual Report 2005") [#32306], [ID 8192]

"[...]A new parliamentary session started in May, following controversial and flawed parliamentary elections in February which were marked by mass disqualification of sitting deputies. The elections resulted in a comprehensive victory for groups opposed to social and political reform. Some of the statements from the new parliamentarians included attacks on women said to be “improperly attired”. Incoming women parliamentarians rejected previous policies aimed at gender equality.

The emerging political trend in parliament gave impetus to members of the semi-official Hezbollah, which occasionally attacked gatherings of people they believed supported opposition political movements. It also encouraged the judiciary and its security force to limit public dissent, resulting in arbitrary arrests and the detention of prisoners in secret centres. In the latter half of the year in particular, practices employed by the judiciary – including arbitrary arrest, denial of legal representation and detention in solitary confinement – were responsible for most of the human rights violations reported in the country.

International concern over Iran’s obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) dominated the year. IAEA reports throughout the year suggested that Iranian officials were not always presenting the entire scope of the country’s nuclear programmes. In November, following an agreement with the European Union (EU), Iran committed itself to suspending uranium enrichment.[...]"

Document(s): Open document
Open document

04.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Political developments 2002 / 2003 ("Country Report - April 2005") [#31980], [ID 8190]

"[...]In March 2003 a BBC News Report stated that President Khatami walked out of a meeting of top Iranian policy makers, the Expediency Council, in protest at their decision to more than double the funding for the Guardian's Council. [21aj] The move by the council, in bypassing the Majlis, was seen by the hardliners as an attack on President Khatami's reform agenda. [21ak] In July 2004 the ultra conservative head of the Guardians Council was given another six years in charge. [42c]
5.6 On 24 September 2002 it was reported in a BBC News Report that in September 2002 Iran's frustrated reformist President Mohammed Khatami presented a new bill to parliament aimed at enhancing his powers. It was the second of two proposals which reformists hoped would clear the way for the enactment of changes which have been largely blocked by the entrenched hardline minority holding positions of power. [21ae] By 10 November 2002 the Iranian Parliament had ratified the outlines of the electoral reform bill which would put an end to the arbitrary vetting of political candidates by the Guardian Council [21al] and also approved the draft of a bill which would give the President the right to suspend rulings by the conservative judiciary which he considers to be violations of the constitution. [21am] By the end of 2003 , not unexpectedly, this legislation remained unenacted, delayed as a result of Guardian Council deliberations. [21al] [21ax] In March 2004 following on from the defeat of the reformers in the February 2004 parliamentary elections President Khatami officially withdrew both bills. [62a]
5.7 On 03 March 2003 it was reported in a BBC News Report that on 28 February 2003 Iran held only its second ever municipal council elections. They resulted in the worst electoral defeat in six years for Khatami and his reformist allies. These results were considered to be caused by voter apathy and low turn out at the polls caused by disenchantment with the slow progress of political reform. [21an] [...]"

Document(s): Open document

26.03.2005 - Source: UK House of Commons - Foreign Affairs Committee

Annual report on human rights 2004 ("Human Rights Annual Report 2004; Fourth Report of Session 2004-05") [#37684], [ID 8191]

"[...]IRAN 129. Iran's news profile over recent months has been dominated by the nuclear issue, but the Annual Report draws attention to a series of "disappointing" violations of human rights, which appear to be on the rise.[163] The Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi was violently killed in police custody in July 2003, after taking photographs of protesters at Evin Prison in Tehran. There has been a deterioration in respect for the rights of freedom of expression and assembly, serious concerns continue in relation to the judicial and penal system and in February 2004 many candidates standing for parliamentary elections were summarily disqualified. Co-operation with the UNCHR has been poor and the results of the EU dialogue on Human Rights have been disappointing. Despite these problems, the Report states that new laws have been passed making some improvements to the rights of women and minorities.[164] We discussed these and other issues in our Report into Iran, published in March 2004.[165] [...]
131. Dr A M Ansari of the University of St Andrews told us, in his memorandum to our inquiry into Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism, that "the whole approach of the EU to Iran over the last year has ill served the cause of democratisation and human rights, and this has been damaging to the EU position in Iran as a whole". He advised that "the EU would regain lost credibility if it made explicit its reservations about human rights".[167] 132. We conclude that the dialogue on nuclear proliferation with Iran should not be allowed to eclipse the very serious human rights concerns which exist in that country and which appear to be worsening. We recommend that the Government set out, in its response to this Report, how it intends to use the dialogue with Iran on human rights over the next year to deliver real improvements. [...]"

Document(s): Open document
Open document UK government's response

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Political struggle between reformists and conservatives ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29525], [ID 8193]

"[...]An intense political struggle continued during the early part of the year between a broad popular movement favoring greater liberalization in government policies, particularly in the area of human rights, and certain hard-line elements within the Government and society that viewed such reforms as a threat to the survival of the Islamic Republic. In many cases, this struggle was played out within the Government, with reformists and hard-liners squaring off in divisive internal debates. As in the past, reformist members of Majlis were harassed, prosecuted, and threatened with jail for statements made under parliamentary immunity. In screening for the February Seventh Majlis elections, the Guardian Council ruled approximately 2,500 of the over 8,000 prospective candidates ineligible to run, including 85 sitting reformist deputies; this was one factor leading to conservatives winning a majority of seats. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

28.05.2004 - Source: BBC News

Hundreds of protesters in Tehran have been signing up to carry out suicide attacks against coalition forces in Iraq ("Iranians sign up for Iraq attacks") [#22978], [ID 8194]

Document(s): Open document

27.04.2004 - Source: Caucasian Knot

Clashes between Azerbaijanians and Armenians in Teheran ("Clashes between Azerbaijanians and Armenians in Teheran") [#21654], [ID 8195]

Document(s): Open document

03.03.2004 - Source: EurasiaNet

Conservative takeover of legislature is setback for politcal reforms; commentary on consequences of elections ("Iran’s conservative agenda: build "an Islamic Japan"") [#20118], [ID 8196]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

A final vote count by the Iranian authorities confirmed that conservative candidates won 156 of the assembly's 290 seats in general elections, after thousands of reformist candidates had been barred from standing ("Predicted win for Iran hardliners") [#19666], [ID 8197]

Document(s): Open document

23.02.2004 - Source: Washington Post

Candidates considered loyal to Iran's Islamic rulers took at least 149 places in the 290-seat parliament, following disputed elections boycotted by reformists ("Iran Hard-Liners Win Parliament Control") [#19552], [ID 8198]

Document(s): Open document

23.02.2004 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

Irans Konservative erklären Reform-Ende ("Irans Konservative erklären Reform-Ende") [#19560], [ID 8199]

21.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

Early results from general elections suggest that conservative supporters of clerical rule are heading for a victory/ turnout lower than in elections four years ago ("Iran conservatives 'in the lead'") [#19547], [ID 8200]

Document(s): Open document

20.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged voters to go to the polls, accusing the country's "enemies" of encouraging a boycott ("Khamenei urges Iranians to vote") [#19484], [ID 8201]

Document(s): Open document

19.02.2004 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Frontalangriff auf Irans Revolutionsführer ("Frontalangriff auf Irans Revolutionsführer") [#19554], [ID 8202]

17.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

Reformist lawmakers have broken a taboo and publicly challenged Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over his role in the ban on thousands of candidates in the 20 February elections ("Khamenei defied over poll crisis") [#19378], [ID 8203]

Document(s): Open document

02.02.2004 - Source: Washington Post

More than one-third of the members of Iran's parliament resigned in a mass protest against efforts by a council of hard-line clerics to fix an upcoming election ("Iranian Legislators Quit in Mass Protest") [#19140], [ID 8204]

Document(s): Open document

02.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

The largest pro-reform party, the Islamic Participation Front, has said it will not take part in the parliamentary elections on 20 February ("Iran reformists pull out of poll") [#19157], [ID 8205]

Document(s): Open document

29.01.2004 - Source: BBC News

Provincial governors announced that there will be no possibility of holding elections, after the Guardians Council has disqualified more than 3000 candidates ("Iran governors step into poll row") [#19069], [ID 8206]

Document(s): Open document

13.01.2004 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Iranische Regierung droht mit Rücktritt ("Iranische Regierung droht mit Rücktritt") [#18714], [ID 8207]

13.01.2004 - Source: BBC News

Iran's reformist president threatened the resignation of his entire administration if a ban on reformist candidates standing in next month's election was not lifted ("Iran leader threatens mass resignations") [#18722], [ID 8208]

Document(s): Open document

12.01.2004 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

Wächterrat verbietet Reformern die Kandidatur ("Wächterrat verbietet Reformern die Kandidatur") [#18636], [ID 8209]

12.01.2004 - Source: Guardian

Around 70 members of the pro-reform groups were holding an all-night sit-in after a committee controlled by Iran's self-appointed religious elite banned them from standing again in next month's elections ("Showdown as Iran MPs protest at election ban") [#18674], [ID 8210]

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2003 - Source: BBC News

Baluchistan province: 5 people killed in clashes between demonstrators and police ("'Five dead in Iran riot'") [#18109], [ID 8211]

Document(s): Open document

16.10.2003 - Source: Prima News

Teheran police arrests tens of people celebrating the award of Nobel Peace Prize to Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi ("Iranian Nobel Laureate’s supporters arrested") [#16799], [ID 8212]

Document(s): Open document

15.10.2003 - Source: International Crisis Group

15.10.2003 - ICG: Student demonstrations in June 2003 with close to 10,000 participants pose no serious threat to the regime; 4,000 demonstrators reportedly arrested; support for Khatami among students waning ("Iran: Discontent and Disarray") [#16759], [ID 8213]

"On 10 June 2003, roughly 80 students living in Tehran University dormitories demonstrated against the school’s rumoured privatisation plans. [...] Sensing an opportunity to voice their displeasure with the government, a horde of disenchanted youth from around the capital –
many unemployed, including from families with strong religious backgrounds – soon joined the student demonstrators. [...]

Still, although altogether close to 10,000 took part, at no time did the rallies appear to pose a serious threat to the regime. The Basij militia – one of the most powerful paramilitary organisations, comprising for the most part volunteers between the ages of fifteen and 30 from rural areas or poorer areas in larger cities – armed with clubs and chains, seemed eager for confrontation and used force unhesitatingly. Riot police stood by with machine guns in case things got out of control, and the threat they represented was a significant factor in preventing the protests from
spreading more widely. At one point police clashed with overzealous Basij members for attacking peaceful protesters, fearful that their impulsive provocations would exacerbate unrest. Some 4,000 demonstrators reportedly were arrested. [...]

Support for Khatami among students waned as they became increasingly disenchanted with his lack of resolve and failure to come to their defence during protests. The June 2003 unrest arguably was the last straw, as students reacted incredulously to his acquiescence at conservative claims that “foreign agents” inspired the demonstrations."

Document(s): Open document

15.10.2003 - Source: International Crisis Group

15.10.2003 - ICG: Increasing popular dissatisfaction with President Khatami and the reform movement leads to lower turnout rate in municipal elections; powerful conservative establishment largely immune to pressures for reform ("Iran: Discontent and Disarray") [#16759], [ID 8214]

"For most Iranians, it has become ever more clear during President Khatami’s unfulfilling six-year tenure that authority ultimately lies in the
hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the twelve-member Islamic Guardian Council and the various security organisations, and that this bloc is largely immune to pressures for reform.

Discontent also increasingly is being directed at the reformers themselves. The mood of hope that followed Khatami’s first election in 1997 has long since dissipated, and Iran’s restive young populace
has all but given up waiting for the rhetorical commitment to reform to turn into reality. Reformers are seen as ineffective in blunting the power of the conservative clerical establishment, incapable of addressing the nation’s economic woes and hindered by their own internal divisions. The sharply lower turnout in the last round of municipal elections –
from 60 per cent in 1999 to less than half that percentage in 2003 – is one powerful indication, and it led to the first electoral blow to the reformists since Khatami was elected president. Student protests persist, but they remain contained; most of the public is reluctant to challenge the state security services directly, sensing both that the regime would not hesitate to resort to violence and that, for the
time being at least, there is no readily available credible political alternative."

Document(s): Open document

16.09.2003 - Source: BBC News

Abbas Abdi and other political prisoners in the country jailed in extremely difficult conditions ("Fears for Iran's political prisoners") [#16139], [ID 8215]

Document(s): Open document

18.08.2003 - Source: BBC News

Isfahan province: 8 people killed and about 150 injured in protests against the proposed new administrative zones ("Iran boundary riot 'kills eight'") [#15328], [ID 8216]

Document(s): Open document

18.08.2003 - Source: Guardian

8 people killed and dozens injured in riots which were allegedly caused by a dispute about a proposed new boundary which would put parts of the city of Semirom under the municipal control of a neighbouring city, Shahreza ("Eight die in Iranian city border riot") [#15122], [ID 8217]

Document(s): Open document

18.06.2003 - Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

Überdruss des Volkes ("Überdruss des Volkes") [#14049], [ID 8218]

18.06.2003 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Tausende Iraner gehen erneut auf die Strasse ("Tausende Iraner gehen erneut auf die Strasse") [#14050], [ID 8219]

27.05.2003 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Notruf der iranischen Reformer an Khamenei ("Notruf der iranischen Reformer an Khamenei") [#14048], [ID 8220]

05.05.2003 - Source: BBC News

A group of 59 Iraqi prisoners held since the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, freed ("Iran frees 'last Iraqi prisoners'") [#12384], [ID 8221]

Document(s): Open document

13.03.2003 - Source: BBC News

Iran will reportedly release all 941 remaining Iraqi prisoners-of-war in exchange for Iraq freeing 349 Iranians held in its custody ("Iran and Iraq to free PoWs") [#11397], [ID 8222]

Document(s): Open document

03.03.2003 - Source: BBC News

Iranian reformers engulfed by fundamentalist election landslide ("Iran election 'an alarm bell'") [#11282], [ID 8223]

Document(s): Open document

24.02.2003 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Article on the February 2003 municipal-council elections: candidates and party activities ("Campaigning Begins in 2003 Municipal - Council Elections") [#11281], [ID 8224]

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Abdollah Nouri, a former Minister of the Interior and publisher of the banned newspaper Khordad, released ("Iran: Abdollah Nouri's release welcomed, but all prisoners of conscience must also be released") [#9432], [ID 8226]

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: Political developments 2001 to current ("Country Assessment - October 2002") [#9556], [ID 8225]

"3.29. The Presidential Elections of 8 June 2001 saw the return of President Mohammad Khatami as president. Khatami won a landslide victory, securing 77 percent of the vote, and secured a second four-year term. 10 members of the Freedom Movement were arrested (in April 2001) in the campaigns leading up to the June elections: the Freedom Movement was banned in March 2001. Khatami was then confirmed in office by Iran's supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, in early August 2001, there was a slight hitch in the confirmation of the appointment by the Guardian Council, as conservative elements opposed to Khatami disrupted the election of replacement members to the Council, rendering it temporarily inquorate, by presenting two hard-line candidates designed to upset the Majlis.

3.30. The Majlis is currently mainly reformist. It was upset in August 2001 when a prominent woman member was sentenced to 22 months in jail by the conservative judiciary for comments made against clerics. 10 of the 11 female MPs threatened to walk out of the parliament and so disrupt parliamentary business. Five more MPs have subsequently been sentenced to jail terms - one of which, Loqmanian, was actually sent to jail for a brief period before the Majles speaker, Karroubi, walked out and threatened not to return to his duties until Loqmanian was freed. The Supreme Leader subsequently pardoned him.

3.31. Post September 11 situation. Iran strongly condemned the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, led by a statement by Khamenei on 17 September, reiterated during the visit of the UK Foreign Secretary on 25 September. Iran and Iraq however condemned the bombing of Afghanistan by the United States on 8 October 2001.

3.32. However, in mid October details emerged of a secret agreement between Iran and the USA whereby Iran would offer assistance to any US personnel either shot down or forced to land within it's borders, provided the USA respected Iran's territorial integrity. There were also reports that Iran might be sharing intelligence with the USA. Yet, despite an apparent shift in bilateral relations, in 2001 Iran continued to head the US Administration's list of states deemed to to be most active in sponsoring terrorism.

3.33. Early in 2002 relations deteriorated rapidly with the USA when the President, in his State of the Union address referred to Iran as forming (together with Iraq and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) an "axis of evil", explicitly accusing Iran of agressively pursuing the development weapons of mass destruction and of "exporting terror". The statement was denounced, in the strongest terms by both "moderates" and "conservatives" in the Iranian leadership.

3.34. The speed with which the US led military campaign in Afghanistan met its' immediate goals worked broadly in Iran's favour. The removal from power of the Taliban to be replaced by a more favourable Northern Alliance regime meant that the prospect of a peaceful Iran/Afghan border becomes much more likely. Relations with extra-regional countries including the UK, whose foreign secretary travelled twice to Tehran in late 2001 and in October 2002, also showed signs of improvement.

3.35. In September 2002 the UK named it's new ambassador to Iran, after a previous nomination earlier this year led to disagreement. The newly nominated ambassador is now expected to go toTehran before the end of 2002 and take up his post in January 2003.

3.36. Domestically the intense factional struggle between the pro-reform elected government and, legislature and hard-line conservatives entrenched within the state's unelected institutions continues."

Document(s): Open document

05.08.2002 - Source: International Crisis Group

Analysis of current political situation in Iran: struggle between conservative and reformist groups, role of security forces, and situation of Islamic and intellectual dissidents ("Iran: The Struggle for the Revolution´s Soul") [#8214], [ID 8227]

Document(s): Open document
00851irn.pdf

11.2001 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

ACCORD: Background information on the political situation ("7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Berlin, 11 - 12 June 2001: Final Report - Iran") [#7661], [ID 8228]

"There is no doubt that the 1997 Presidential elections in Iran were perceived as a major
development in Iran. The unpredicted election of Mohammed Khatami as President by
nearly 70% of voters has produced a tremendous feeling of expectation in the
population. Khatami speaks about civic freedoms and emphasizes the importance of
civil society. Khatami stresses his commitment to dialogue between civilizations and
openly declares his wish to improve relations of Iran with the rest of the world including
the USA. In addition, Khatami frequently talks about the rule of law and the importance
of the Iranian Constitution. On the first anniversary of his election he declared ”the
foundation of our law and system is the Constitution, which has recognized the people’s
right to be in charge of their own destiny and has also recognized our society’s right to
fundamental freedom”. It is clear that in the Constitution there are certain areas that will
need amendments in order to implement and facilitate the envisaged reforms. These
areas regard mainly the role and responsibilities of the religious institutions in the power
structure, in particular the position of the Supreme Leader, the Guardian Council and
the Assembly of Experts.
At the time of Khatami's election it was predicted that he would have a very difficult time
ahead but that, if only he would manage to obtain a majority in the Majles, in the
municipalities and to replace the conservative Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Yazdi, he
would have a good chance of succeeding.
In fact, despite having obtained significant majorities both in the Majles and during the
municipal elections, he has not yet succeeded in significantly consolidating power to be
able to effectively push forward a number of reforms that were expected.
While on the one hand there have been important developments with respect to
freedom of the press, the situation of women and human rights in general, it has also
become clear that the conservative, revolutionary establishment has the means to block
significant efforts to produce reforms and will use all its power to do so. The conservative camp can count on the Judiciary, the Revolutionary Guards, private
foundations, the families of martyrs, the Basiji or voluntary para-military forces, the
Supreme Leader, part of the Bazar and part of the clerical establishment.
In June and July 1998 there was an evidently mounting pressure on supporters of the
reform-oriented policies of President Khatami. Increasing attacks led to the
impeachment of Abdullah Noori, Minister of the Interior, one of the closest allies of the
President and one of the most powerful Ministers. Moreover, an intense campaign was
mounted against the liberal mayor of Tehran, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, again one of
the President’s staunchest allies, who was originally sentenced to five years in prison
and 60 lashes on charges of misuse of public property and bribing. The sentence was
reduced to two years prison and a fine by an appeals court in December 1999 and
commuted altogether in January 2000 through a pardon requested by former president
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a move "seen by
some analysts as part of a campaign by conservative clerics, who are led by Ayatollah
Khamenei, to project a more moderate image ahead of parliamentary elections on 18
February. [...] A 10-year ban on Mr Karbaschi taking part in any political activity,
imposed with his original prison sentence, has not been lifted.""

Document(s): cois2001-irn.pdf

11.2001 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

ACCORD: 2001 Presidential elections ("7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Berlin, 11 - 12 June 2001: Final Report - Iran") [#7661], [ID 8229]

"On 8 June 2001 Khatami won with a massive landslide, gaining 78% of votes. There is
no reason to believe, however, that Iran is now a democracy and that Khatami's victory
will bring an immediate end to human rights violations. The President is the Head of the
Executive and is responsible for implementing the laws passed by the Legislature, or
Majles, which is also pro-reform. Laws passed by the Majles, however, have to be
approved by the conservative Council of Guardians. Furthermore, the Head of the
Judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader who is in turn appointed by the Council of
Experts, a body of 83 religious-political leaders created after the 1979 revolution, which
is in fact directly elected. The Supreme Leader appoints – according to a formula - the
members of the National Security Council, the head of the armed forces and of the
Expediency Council. Despite Khatami’s victory and the considerable gains of proreform
candidates in the parliamentary elections the number of pro-reform laws passed
that have actually been implemented has been comparatively small, as many of them
have been challenged in court. Reform is not so much in the hands of the President or
of the Parliament but rather depends on the goodwill of another body, the Council of
Guardians, whose members are appointed to equal parts by the Leader and the
Parliament.
In this context it is also worth mentioning that many commentators, including UNHCR
and the UK Home Office report that the Government clamps down or limits freedom of
expression. However, it is rather the judiciary, notably the Revolutionary Courts, that are
responsible for the clampdown. The Government does not do anything like that; it does
not have the power to do that.
Iran is a country where torture takes place, apparently with impunity; where political
prisoners - who are invariably prisoners of conscience - are detained, often arbitrarily
and where the judicial system is structurally prejudicial against fair trial procedures that
fulfill minimum international standards. In addition, the country retains the death penalty,
carrying out one of the world’s highest levels of executions while cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishments are regularly imposed for crimes such as repeat theft, alcohol
consumption and illicit sex. Moreover, unconfirmed reports indicate that conditions in
official prisons are very poor, overcrowding being a particular issue of concern.
Amnesty International has no reports from the ”unofficial” prisons that are widely
recognised to exist.
At the same time, Iran is one of the most dynamic and energetic societies in the Middle
East region and some commentators have stated that it is possibly one of the most
democratic in the region, where a range of political opinions can be expressed without fear of persecution and where those most at risk of human rights violations may also be
those least likely to seek asylum.
If this is indeed the case, who then is at risk in Iran and why? Why are so many Iranians
seeking asylum in other, notably western, countries? To answer this question it is
crucial to achieve an understanding of the political, judicial and legal structures in Iran
but also to bear in mind the numerous human rights violations that have been
committed in the past years."

Document(s): cois2001-irn.pdf

11.2001 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

00.11.2001 – ACCORD: Berlin Conference ("7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Berlin, 11 - 12 June 2001: Final Report - Iran") [#7661], [ID 8230]

"A Revolutionary Court in Tehran on 13 January 2001 announced tough jail sentences for 7 intellectuals for their involvement in a conference in Berlin (April 2000) that was seen by hard-liners as a threat to the Islamic system. The verdicts, much harsher than expected, exacerbated Iran's internal struggle. In all, 17 intellectuals were arrested and put on trial. Hojjatoleslam Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari, a well-known dissident cleric, was sentenced to death by the Special Court for the Clergy which was later overturned. In addition to the charge of undermining state interests, the 51-year-old cleric was accused of apostasy. In January 2001, Tehran's Revolutionary Court issued its verdict for the remaining 16 of whom 6 were acquitted, two were fined and one received a suspended jail sentence. The remaining 7 were given jail sentences ranging from 4 to 10 years. All are expected to appeal. Two women, Mehrangiz Kar, Iran's most prominent women's rights lawyer and Shahla Lahiji, a publisher, were both sentenced to four years in prison. Ms. Kar is seriously ill with breast cancer developed while in detention. The court has denied treatment abroad. Ms. Kar is also facing a separate trial on charges of not observing Iran's strict Islamic dress code. Analysts in Tehran saw the Court's verdict as aimed against the President's political reforms and said it would intensify the power struggle with his conservative opponents just 6 months prior to the scheduled Presidential elections."

Document(s): cois2001-irn.pdf