The following information was downloaded by the Research Directorate from the Internet website of the Worker-communist Party of Iran (WPI), at http://www.wpiran.org/ . The WPI issued a "Formation Communique" on 30 November 1991, signed by Iraj Azarin, Mansoor Hekmat, Koorosh Modarresi, and Reza Moqaddam. For more information about the ideology and goals of the WPI, please see the attached text of the Formation Communique. On 28 May 1997 the WPI's "Political Bureau" issued a statement on the Iranian presidential election, stating that the election was a "farce" and that the Iranian people "want to bring down the Islamic Republic." For more details please see the text of the statement, attached.

The website does not provide information on the WPI's activities inside Iran, nor on the number of WPI members. Two mailing addresses for the WPI are provided on the website: K.A.K. , Box 29065, 10052, Stockholm, Sweden; and B.M. Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX, United Kingdom. The WPI's e-mail address is wpi@wpiran.org . The Research Directorate's e-mail letter to the WPI has not been answered, and the Research Directorate's efforts to find out the telephone numbers of the WPI in London and Stockholm through Bell Canada's long distance information service were not successful.

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.

Home page of the Worker-communist Party of Iran [Internet]. http://www.wpiran.org/ [Accessed on 11 and 12 Mar. 1998]

Worker-communist Party of Iran: Formation Communiqué [Internet]. http://www.wpiran.org [Accessed on 12 Mar. 1998]

Worker-communist Party of Iran: On the Elections for the Presidency of the Islamic Regime in Iran [Internet]. http://www.wpiran.org/Eng/xatami.html [Accessed on 11 Mar. 1998]

Electronic sources: IRB databases, Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).

Two oral sources consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.