No information on the treatment of the supporters of Dr. Habibollah Peyman could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

On a Website identified as being that of Dr. Habibollah Peyman, there is no information in English on the treatment of his supporters in Iran. He is identified as "the founder and the leader of the Jonbesh-mosalmanan mobarez in Iran" (n.d.).

The following limited chronology provides information on Peyman's reported activities and statements since January 1998.

A 12 October 1998 report from the Iran Press Service (IPS) on elections to Iran's Assembly of Experts stated that

while the AMC [Association of Militant Clergymen] has stopped short of calling for the boycott of the forthcoming elections, other not legal but tolerated organisations like the IFM, the Iranian Militant Muslim, led by Dr Habibollah Peyman and the PRS have stated that they will not participate while other more secular organisations like the Iranian Nation Party of Mr Dariush Foruhar have called for an open boycott of what they have described as a "big parody."

On 26 October 1998 IPS referred to a recent lecture by Peyman in Stockholm who was described as "the leader of a leftist Muslim intellectuals organisation that supports the government of the reform-seeking ayatollah Mohammad Khatami in Iran."

According to the IPS article, Peyman appealed for more contacts between Iranians "outside and inside" the country in order to promote the democratization process of Iran (ibid.).

In October 1998 The Iranian Times wrote that Peyman would be speaking at the University of California, Los Angeles on 21 November 1998 and that the subject would be "The current intellectual trends in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (26-30 Oct. 1998). This source also wrote that Dr. Peyman,

leader of the Jonbesh-e Mosalmanan-e Mobarez (JMM), has been invited by the Secretary of the German Green Party faction in the European Parliament to tour Europe.

The Council for the Co-ordination of democratic Organizations (Shuray-e Hamahangy- e Nahadhay-e Democratic) has arranged for him to give lectures and to have meetings and talks with Iranians in various cities of Europe.

The main topic of the lectures is "An Analysis of the Present Situation of the Movement for Freedom and People's rule in Iran" (ibid.).

He was to speak on at the end of October and at the beginning of November in Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt Germany, as well as in Paris and London (ibid.).

In a January 1999 article on the reaction of Ayatollah Khamenei to the implication of Iranian agents in the assassination of political opponents, Peyman is identified as "the leader of the pro-Khatami Militant Muslims Movement" and is quoted as saying:

"Not only the confessions of the Information Ministry has strengthened the position of Mr Khatami, but it has provided him with a rare opportunity that he should not lose. One must find out the roots of these killings, the links of the killers, their ring, and their financial sources, their organisation and networks. He must act now that this reactionary current has been damaged and the public opinion, both at home and outside, motivated. He must expand the investigation committee to include representatives of the people and allow all the facts to be published by the press" (IPS 8 Jan. 1999).

The January 14-20 199 issue of Al-Ahram Weekly carried a slightly different translation of the same quotation.

Also in January 1999, Peyman sent a letter to the Interior Minister claiming that he, and his family, had received telephone death threats (IPS 20 Jan. 1999; AP 20 Jan. 1999; AFP 20 Jan. 1999). IPS reported that the callers to Peyman, as well as to a newspaper editor, identified themselves as "members of the Feda'iyan Eslam [and] had menaced that if they don't 'shut up, they will be cut into pieces'. Mr. Peyman also reported that his residence is being watched and filmed from neighbouring roofs and that his wife and daughter had been assaulted in the street" (20 Jan. 1999). AP also reported Peyman's statement that his home was being monitored and that he had claimed "that last week his wife and daughter were arrested by two plainclothes men who forced them to sign letter renouncing their political activities" (20 Jan. 1999). The Voice of Israel corroborated the above information, but reported that Peyman stated that the caller identified himself as "the spokesman of Fada'iyan of Pure Mohammadan Islam" and added that Peyman, in recent years, has frequently criticized "some policies of Iran's present regime" and that he is presently "a writer for the political periodical 'Iran-e Farda'" as well as a university professor (20 Jan. 1999).

Just after the July 1999 student demonstrations:

Dr. Habibollah Peyman, told the Tehran Times, "The attack by the Law Enforcement Forces on students at the Tehran University dormitory incited the students to take action in response. An organization such as the Office for Consolidation of Unity was not powerful enough to lead the student sit-in. So, some students who wanted to strike the memory of the dormitory out of the public mind took a harsher stance and started a rally. There are jobless youths in every corner of the city looking for trouble in the society." These young people, he added, may take advantage of any opportunity to riot. On President Khatami's remarks on Tuesday night, Peyman said the president "is still an honorable figure, just as he was before. With regard to this special issue, however, he felt a little short in performing his duty; he did not take the usual initiatives to calm the situation. Since President Khatami did not take a stance when the issue was in its early stages, the rioters found the opportunity to take advantage of the situation" (Tehran Times 15 July 1999).

On 28 July 1999 BBC reported that "a group of nationalist and religious personalities have called on the Serial Killings' Follow-up Committee to clarify the cause of death of Dr. Majid Sharif." The signatories to the released statement included Habibollah Peyman and the statement read in part:

In recent years a large number of intellectuals, political activists and political and religious dissidents have died in mysterious circumstances, and the course of events shows that the serial murders were not confined to four people. Therefore, the Serial Killings' Follow-up Committee is duty bound to declare its clear and transparent position on other murders, particularly the suspicious death of Dr. Majid Sharif (ibid.).

At the beginning of December 1999, Peyman was attacked and injured by stone-throwing protestors in the town of Semnan (Iran News 6 Dec. 1999; AFP 1 Dec. 1999; The Iran Brief 8 Dec. 1999). Peyman was identified as a "liberal opposition leader" and sympathizer with the Iran Freedom Movement (IFM) (The Iran Brief 8 Dec. 1999; AFP 1 Dec. 1999). He had been invited to speak by the local university's Islamic association (ibid.). The Iran Brief identified the attackers as "Ansar-e Hezbollahi thugs" (8 Dec. 1999). Fights were reported to have broken out between reformist and conservative students (ibid.). Azad reported Peyman as commenting:

The Law-Enforcement personnel were watching the attack within a distance of a few yards from me.

This is a highly crucial matter because we are on the threshold of the sixth Majlis elections. In other words, the central government demonstrated that it still lacks the power to protect the rights of its citizens.

Perhaps the issue of the attack on me is not so important on its own, but the main problem is the fact that I feel the state official forces are still incapable of standing up to the vigilante groups. In these circumstances it is not clear who will safeguard the people's trust, which will be cast as votes into the ballot boxes on the day of the elections? The government must strive to strengthen its forces against the unbridled individuals [thugs] who show no respect for people's lives, assets and basic rights (2 Dec. 1999).

On 8 December 1999 Iran News reported that a group of Semnan University students held a rally protesting the attack on Peyman, and "called on university officials to punish the attackers."

In January 2000, Peyman was among reformists whose candidacies for election to the Majiles were rejected by the Council of Guardians (IPS 10 Jan. 2000; Keyhan 30 Jan. 2000; RFE/RL Iran Report 7 Feb. 2000). The Tehran Times reported a Guardian Council source as saying that "only those applicants for the next Majlis election were disqualified who are affiliated to certain factions such as the Freedom Movement of Iran (FMI) and the National Front (NF) (10 Jan. 2000). IPS described those rejected as "all known reformist and pro-Khatami candidates" (10 Jan. 2000). However, other sources stated that only some of the candidates of the pro-Khatami "2nd Khordad Front" had been disqualified (RFE/RL Iran Report 7 Feb. 2000; Tehran Times 10 Jan. 2000).

In further information on the reasons for disqualification IPS claimed that new regulations

would bar runners who had not meticulously observed Islam's principles, failed to regularly attend Friday priers or conservatives-organised ceremonies, have bounced back cheques, organised parties at their homes, have un-Islamic frequentations, or do not accept the absolute rule of the ayatollah Kameneh'i as the supreme ruler etc. (10 Jan. 2000)

A regional specialist with REF/RL wrote that

Many candidates were rejected on the basis of Article 28 of the election law, which calls for "belief in and practical commitment to Islam and the Islamic Republic system" and loyalty to the constitution and the Vilayat-i Faqih (Guardianship of the Supreme Jurisconsult). Others were rejected, per Article 30, because they had worked to strengthen the monarchy in the past or had acted against the theocracy more recently (Samii 1 Mar. 2000)

In reporting on the disqualification of reformists the Tehran Times reported comments from Peyman:

He also added that the omission of religious-nationalist and other liberal candidates has no other reason apart from intellectual and political disagreement between the Guardian Council and the religious-nationalist front.

Peyman went on to say that the omission of 23rd May Coalition candidates by the Guardian Council would be a sign of their intention to set the stage for a conservative ruled Sixth Majlis. "They know that in a democratic atmosphere, public opinion will not vote for those affiliated with the monopolistic movement and reformists are certain to win. Hence they have no other choice than excluding reformist candidates all together in order to keep Majlis in their control," said Peyman (10 Jan. 2000).

In April 2000, in response to a Pasdaran statement "threatening" Khatami and reformists, which was described by IPS as "warlike," Peyman was reported as saying:

"They (conservatives) ruled for the past twenty years unopposed and unchallenged. The result is an economy in shambles, a volatile political situation, generalised corruption, prostitution, misery and chaos. Now that the reformists are trying to correct the situation and salvage the nation from total collapse, the only thing they do is to threaten the reformists and dissidents who have no other arms at their hands but their pen" (IPS 17 Apr. 2000).

Peyman is identified as leader of the Movement of Iranian Muslim People (MIMP)" (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 1 December 1999. "Iranian Opposition Figure Attacked, Students Clash." (NEXIS)

_____. 20 January 1999. "Iranian Opposition Figure Receives Death Threats." (NEXIS)

Al-Ahram Weekly [Tehran]. 14-20 January 1999. Safa Haeri. "Murder From Above." http://msanews.mynet.net/MSANEWS/199901/19990123.13.html [Accessed 31 May 2000]

Associated Press (AP). 20 January 2000. Afshin Valinejad. "Iran Prosecutor: Several Murder Suspects Freed, Others at Large." (NEXIS)

Azad [Tehran, in Persian]. 2 December 1999. "Khatami's Supporter Concerned About Elections After Attack." (BBC Summary 4 Dec. 1999/NEXIS)

BBC Worldwide Monitoring. 28 July 1999. "Serial Murders' Committee Asked to Clarify Cause of Death of 'Dissident'." http://www.iranian.com/News/1999/July/serial.html [Accessed 31 May 2000]

Dr. Habibollah Peyman's Homepage. n.d. http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/jonbesh/peyman.html [Accessed 30 May 2000]

The Iran Brief. 8 December 1999. "Nouri Verdict Riles Traditional Clerics, Sparks Protests." (NEXIS)

Iran News [Tehran, in English]. 8 December 1999. "Iran News Carries Press Review for 8 Dec." (FBIS-NES-1999-1208 8 Dec. 1999/WNC)

_____. 6 December 1999. "Iran News Views Current Issues 6 Dec." (FBIS-NES-1999-1206 6 Dec. 1999/WNC)

Iran Press Service. 17 April 2000. "Khamene'I and Rafsanjani Leading the Charges on Moderates." http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org/ [Accessed 18 April 2000]

_____. 10 January 2000. "Reformist Candidates Protest Their Rejection by Guardians." http://www.iran-press-service.com/ [Accessed 30 May 2000]

_____. 20 January 1999. "Brokered by Rafasanjani, Leader and President to Sign Cease-Fire." http://www.iran-press-service.com/ [Accessed 30 May 2000]

_____. 8 January 1999. "Killing of Opponents is a 'Scenario Written With Foreign Hands': GLIR." http://www.iran-press-service.com/ [Accessed 30 May 2000]

_____. 26 October 1998. Safa Haeri. "Mixing Religion and Republic is an Exercise in Demagogy." http://www.iran-press-service.com/ [Accessed 30 May 2000]

_____. 12 October 1998. "As News Elections Looms, Tensions Increase Between Left and Right." http://www.iran-press-service.com/ [Accessed 30 May 2000]

The Iranian Times [Bethesda, MD]. 26-30 October 1998. "Community." http://www.iranian.com/Times/Oct98e/Behbahan/community.html [Accessed 31 May 2000]

Keyhan [Tehran, in Persian]. 30 January 2000. "Iran: Lists of Majles Candidates." (FBIS-NES-2000-0214 30 Jan. 2000/WNC)

RFE/RL Iran Report [Prague]. 7 February 2000. Vol. 3, No. 6. "Candidate Lists Announced." http://www.rferl.org/iran-report/index.html [Accessed 11 February 2000]

Samii, A.W. March 2000. Vol. 4, No. 1. Middle East Review of International Affairs. "Iran's 2000 Elections." http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/journal/2000/issue1/jv4n1a1.html [Accessed 31 May 2000]

Tehran Times [in English]. 10 January 2000. "Paper Denies Extensive Disqualification of Pro-Khatami Candidates." (BBC Summary 12 Jan. 2000/NEXIS)

_____. 15 July 1999. H. Mashiyati and Z. Abdi. "Journalists, MPs on Support of Some Newspapers for Rioters." http://www.salamiran.org/Media/TehranTimes/990715.html [Accessed 31 May 2000]

Voice of Israel [Jerusalem, in Persian]. 20 January 1999. "Opposition Figure Says He Received Death Threats." (BBC Summary 22 Jan. 1999/NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites including:

Iran Press Service

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)

The Middle East Times

NetIran Website. Encompassing IRNA 1993-98, Iran News 1993-99, Tehran Times 1995-98.

PersianWeb

Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran

Search engines including:

Dogpile

HotBot