Iranian Alert -- October 1, 2003 -- IRAN LIVE THREAD PING LIST

The Iranian Student Movement Up To The Minute Reports ^ | 10.1.2003 | DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movment in Iran from being reported.

From jamming satellite broadcasts, to prohibiting news reporters from covering any demonstrations to shutting down all cell phones and even hiring foreign security to control the population, the regime is doing everything in its power to keep the popular movement from expressing its demand for an end of the regime.

These efforts by the regime, while successful in the short term, do not resolve the fundamental reasons why this regime is crumbling from within.

Iran is a country ready for a regime change. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary.

Please continue to join us here, post your news stories and comments to this thread.

Thanks for all the help.

DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

Iran's Race for Nuclear Weapons

September 29, 2003
Asia Today Online
Erich Marquardt

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/992785/posts?page=20#20

[blackie]

Free Iran ~ Now!

[windchime]

Bump

[nuconvert]

"Minister of Interior said here Tuesday that people should feel that their votes counts in elections"

Maybe they would feel that way, if they could vote for the people they wanted to, and not a group of pre-judged, pre-selected, pre-approved, mullah-sanctioned candidates.

[DoctorZIn]

UN Nuclear Inspectors Head for Iran

October 01, 2003
VOA News
VOA

U.N. nuclear inspectors are headed to Iran in another attempt to determine if the Islamic republic is seeking to develop atomic weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency team, led by Belgian Pierre Goldschmidt, is to meet with top Iranian officials on Thursday. Before leaving Vienna Wednesday, Mr. Goldschmidt said the team expects to make a lot of progress. His comments coincided with remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, who told reporters Tehran will do all it can to keep the IAEA from referring Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council.

Mr. Kharrazi promised greater cooperation with inspectors but also indicated Iran does not want to allow limitless inspections of its nuclear facilities without its right to enrich uranium being guaranteed.

The United States suspects Iran is enriching uranium to make nuclear bombs. Previous IAEA inspections revealed traces of weapons-grade uranium at two sites. Tehran blames the finds on contaminated equipment it imported from another country, and insists its nuclear activities are peaceful in nature.

Tuesday, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei warned that without full access, the inspectors will not be able to verify Tehran's statements to the agency's governing board. That board, in turn, would have to report to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=41C244A5-9935-45EA-8B0DBB8F11C1B51D&title=UN%20Nuclear%20Inspectors%20Head%20for%20Iran&catOID=45C9C78D-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C

[DoctorZIn]

UN Nuclear Inspectors Head for Iran

October 01, 2003
VOA News
VOA

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/992785/posts?page=25#25

[DoctorZIn]

Iran Slams Canada for 'Undiplomatic Behaviour'

October 01, 2003
AFP
Arab Times

TEHRAN -- Iran's foreign ministry lashed out at Canada Wednesday for what it described at "undiplomatic" behaviour, taking issue with complaints in Ottawa over Tehran's record on human rights and the nuclear issue.

"With these kinds of uncustomary and undiplomatic statements, the Canadians have put themselves into a position of weakness for political discussions and have damaged the development of trust and understanding between the two countries," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the state news agency Irna.

Asefi was reacting to comments Monday by Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham, who announced Canada's ambassador to Iran was to return to Tehran after several months of being kept at home in protest over the beating death of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi. Graham said two main reasons for the return of Ambassador Philip MacKinnon were the decision by Iranian authorities to put on open trial a suspect in the Kazemi case and the need to maintain pressure on Iran not to develop nuclear weapons.

Graham said MacKinnon will be carrying a letter from Prime Minister Jean Chretien insisting "that in the matter of Madame Kazemi's death, Canada continues to press for the return of Madame Kazemi's body to Canada and to press for a full, open and transparent trial whereby those who are responsible for her death are brought to justice." Asefi hit back by saying "this kind of statement has no effect on the policy of the Islamic republic."

http://www.al-seyassah.com/arabtimes/world/view.asp?msgID=1205

[DoctorZIn]

Stop Punishing Student Activists

Human Rights Watch - Press Release
Oct 1, 2003

"The punishment and intimidation of students for joining peaceful protests is a serious violation of academic freedom. Students are being given a clear message: remain silent, or risk being kicked out of school." - Joe Stork, acting executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division.

Iranian authorities should stop using university disciplinary committees as a means to punish students for participating in political protests, Human Rights Watch said today.

University disciplinary committees (komiteh enzebati) throughout Iran are reportedly holding hearings of students allegedly involved in pro-reform protests over the last year. The committees have suspended some students for one semester and expelled others.

"The punishment and intimidation of students for joining peaceful protests is a serious violation of academic freedom," said Joe Stork, acting executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division. "Students are being given a clear message: remain silent, or risk being kicked out of school."

According to Iranian media reports, the disciplinary committee of Mazandaran University in Babolsar expelled two students solely for participating in non-violent political demonstrations, and other Mazandaran students are waiting to hear the results of their hearings. Twenty-one students at Razi University in Kermanshah have been suspended for two terms. At Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, seven students have been suspended or expelled. The disciplinary committee at Shahid Bahonar University in Kerman has reportedly expelled two students. Disciplinary committees at universities in Semnan and Tabriz have also reportedly begun holding hearings of students who were allegedly involved in protests in November 2002 and June 2003.

In a statement released on September 26, the student body of Ferdowsi University in Mashhad said that the university disciplinary committee seeks to create "a cemetery-like quiet on campus."

The university disciplinary committees predate the 1979 revolution. Generally controlled by university administrations, they were created to address purely academic concerns such as cheating or disputes over school credits. However, in some universities, especially outside Tehran, hardliners in the government have pushed the committees to play an intrusive political role.

Since the July 1999 protests at Tehran University, the Iranian judiciary and security forces have repeatedly cracked down on student activists. The most recent protests, which spread from university campuses to other parts of major cities during June 2003, were violently suppressed by vigilante groups.

On September 29, Gholamreza Zarifian, a deputy science minister in charge of student affairs, reportedly said that only the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology has the power to remove students, and that all judgments made by the committees are subject to review. This came in the wake of a letter from more than 120 members of parliament condemning the disciplinary committees for their treatment of students and for their interference in university life.

Human Rights Watch urged the European Union, in its upcoming Human Rights Dialogue with Iran, to call for a moratorium on any further hearings or judgments by the university disciplinary committees regarding non-violent political activism by students.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_2680.shtml

[PhilDragoo]

Said is the problem; Pipes is the solution.

And Bush recess appointed him to the US Institute of Peace.

http://www.danielpipes.org/

[DoctorZIn]

3 Iranians Sentenced to Death for Subversion

AFP - World News
Oct 1, 2003

PARIS — Iranian courts have sentenced three men to death for, in at least two of the cases, having contacts with outlawed political organizations, the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said in a statement yesterday.

It said Ramine Sharifi, 27, was sentenced on Sept. 7 by a revolutionary court in Saghez, in the Kurdish-dominated north, for allegedly belonging to the Democratic Kurdistan Party of Iran, though it added that he had the right to appeal. Said Masouri, 38, had his June 2002 death sentence confirmed recently by an appeals court which heard that he had contacts with the People’s Mujahedeen, an exiled opposition group.

The FIDH said it had not been able to confirm the charges against the third man, Gholamhossein Kalbi, but noted that he was in the prison of Evin, on the same death row as Masouri.

The FIDH and the League for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran said in the statement that they “called on Iranian authorities to guarantee these people the right to a fair trial” and renewed their appeal for a moratorium on capital punishment.

They added that they also wanted the European Union to begin lobbying against the execution of the three.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at Canada yesterday for what it described at “undiplomatic” behavior, taking issue with complaints in Ottawa over Tehran’s record on human rights and the nuclear issue. “With these kinds of uncustomary and undiplomatic statements, the Canadians have put themselves into a position of weakness for political discussions and have damaged the development of trust and understanding between the two countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the state news agency IRNA.

Asefi was reacting to comments on Monday by Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham, who announced Canada’s ambassador to Iran was to return Tehran after several months of being kept at home in protest over the beating death of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.

Graham said two main reasons for the return of Ambassador Philip MacKinnon were the decision by Iranian authorities to put on open trial a suspect in the Kazemi case and the need to maintain pressure on Iran not to develop nuclear weapons.

Graham said MacKinnon will be carrying a letter from Prime Minister Jean Chretien insisting “that in the matter of Madame Kazemi’s death, Canada continues to press for the return of Madame Kazemi’s body to Canada and to press for a full, open and transparent trial whereby those who are responsible for her death are brought to justice.” Asefi hit back by saying “this kind of statement has no effect on the policy of the Islamic republic.”

Dual national Kazemi died in custody in Iran on July 10 after she was arrested for photographing outside a prison.

Deadline May Not Be Met: Loathe to ditch a project it began in 1985 and riven by factional disputes on how to respond to international pressure, Iran appears unlikely to allay fears about its atomic aims before an Oct. 31 UN deadline.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_2678.shtml

[PhilDragoo]

Axis of VX spinning on Scud D

[PhilDragoo]

But to the dismay of the IAEA, diplomats say, Iran still refuses to say where the imported parts came from.

Tuwaitha had an undetected lower level with dangerous levels of radiation but no enriched uranium.

Iran is a likely benefactor of Saddam's nuclear program.

[F14 Pilot]

Thanks for all supports.

[F14 Pilot]

Teaming up on Iran

10/2/2003

THE BUSH administration, in conjunction with the rest of the international community, is confronting two kinds of challenges from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Policy makers should not confuse the two. In response to Iran's program to develop nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency has done what the Bush administration asked it to do: set a deadline of Oct. 31 for Tehran to sign a protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty permitting intrusive short-notice inspections of any site in Iran. The recent disclosure that IAEA inspectors found traces of highly enriched uranium at a second site in Iran suggests that the administration was right to push for the deadline. In this crisis, President Bush has thus far worked within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, relying on the IAEA and cooperating with other governments.

Fittingly, the European Union issued a statement Monday linking Iran's compliance with the IAEA deadline to progress on a trade pact that Tehran desperately needs. The foreign ministers of the 15 EU members also issued a demand that went beyond the IAEA request for anywhere, any time inspections. They said Iran must "refrain from fuel-cycle activities which can also be used to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons."

An Iranian official retorted that Iran will not respond to "threats and pressures." But it should be obvious that the EU's threats and pressures are precisely what is required to prevent Tehran from exploiting loopholes in the Non-Proliferation Treaty and then opting out of it, as North Korea has done.

It should also be obvious that Washington and the Europeans are on the same page in their assessment of Iran's nuclear threat. This is true despite a marked difference in European and American attitudes toward diplomatic engagement with the regime in Tehran.

Bush would be wise to lean more toward the Europeans' carrot-and-stick approach. He could learn from the EU foreign ministers who declared Monday that before they complete work on a trade agreement, Tehran must not only halt its enrichment of uranium but also improve human rights, cease sabotaging the Middle East peace process, and cooperate more against terrorism.

US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva on Iraq and other matters, but the administration broke off the talks in May. They should be renewed. Iran's foreign minister has rightly noted that Washington and Tehran have cooperated fruitfully in Afghanistan and share a common interest in preventing disorder or fragmentation in Iraq. Bush should remain unyielding on Iran's nuclear program but explore possibilities for cooperation in Iraq and elsewhere.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2003/10/02/teaming_up_on_iran/

[F14 Pilot]

Iran's Khatami Vows to Pass Reform Bills

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's president, repeatedly stymied in efforts to carry out promised reforms, said Tuesday he would get two key bills passed "one way or the other."

The two pieces of legislation — seen as vital for President Mohammad Khatami to implement the reform platform on which he was elected — would limit the powers of the Guardian Council and other unelected bodies controlled by hard-liners in Iran's Islamic government.

One proposal would give Khatami greater powers to stop constitutional violations by his hard-line opponents, while the other would bar the Guardian Council from arbitrarily disqualifying candidates in parliamentary and presidential elections.

"Unfortunately, both bills faced problems, but still I've not lost hope because in the end this issue will be solved one way or the another," state-run Tehran television quoted Khatami as saying.

Khatami was addressing provincial governors at a meeting in Tehran to prepare for crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for February. He said he did not expect the elections bill to be approved before the February vote.

Khatami has few remaining options: He can take up the issue with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters; demand a referendum on the bills; or resign.

For years, Iran been embroiled in a power struggle between elected reformers supporting Khatami's program of peaceful democratic reforms and hard-liners resisting them through the powerful but unelected bodies they control, including the Guardian Council and the judiciary.

Since Khatami took office in 1997, hard-liners have used their control of unelected bodies to block all reform legislation, shut down more than 100 liberal publications and detain dozens of pro-reform activists and writers.

Khatami, who offered to resign in July, has repeatedly complained he is powerless to stop hard-liners from violating the constitution and acting against voted reforms.

"Khatami has made it clear that if the two bills are not approved, it would be meaningless for him to remain in his position as president," said Saeed Shariati, a leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reformist political party.

The reformist-dominated parliament passed the bills over the summer but the hard-line Guardian Council, an oversight body, vetoed them, claiming they were contrary to Islam and the constitution.

Members of the hard-line Guardian Council have vowed to reject reformist candidates who seek major changes.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=3&u=/ap/20031001/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_politics

[DoctorZIn]

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[blackie]

Iraq, Iran and Korea ~ the axis of evil ~ one down and two to go.

[blackie]

I'm here too serve. :-/

[blackie]

To not too. *sigh*