Back to Brief on Iran
At a press conference in Geneva, the National Council of Resistance of Iran warned of deals being clenched by Iran's ruling theocracy with some European countries to compromise on violations of human rights in Iran.
Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of the NCR's Foreign Affairs Committee, told journalists: "Some European countries tried to water down the resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran in favor of the clerical regime. The regime's ambassadors in France and Italy were involved in intensive negotiations last week to remove the resolution altogether."
In a related report, 110 parliamentarians from various European countries and 14 non-governmental organizations condemned every form of compromise with the Khomeini regime at the Human Rights Commission and called for condemnation of this anti-human regime.
The NGOs declared that concessions to the mullahs would only aggravate the situation of human rights in Iran, and emphasized that the UNHRC resolution must not be used as a vehicle to further a political agenda.
Broadcasting to Iran, The Washington
Times, April 16
[Excerpts from an article by Helle Bering-Jensen, deputy editorial page editor of the Washington Times. ] … recently, the notion that the United States might broadcast into Iran under the name of Radio Free Iran has made the State Department break into a cold sweat. Heavens, some one might actually get the idea that we think Iran is not free.
How exceedingly indelicate of us.
Iran, of course, happens to be a place where arrests - even of powerful people like Tehran's mayor - can happen without a warrant; where political prisoners languish in jail for decades; where cutting off various extremities is considered appropriate punishment for criminals; where stoning is the legal punishment for adultery. And, of course, this is also a country that plots the export of terrorism with a systematic coldness that should chill your spine.
One of the problems with the emerging warming trends between Iran and the Untied States… is that it has made U.S. officials more reluctant to address the real, serious problems underlying our relations with Iran…
Jailed Mayor Freed on Bail Amid Fears of More Clashes,
The Washington Post, April 16
CAIRO—The mayor of Tehran… was freed on bail today in a temporary retreat by religious hard-liners opposed to Khatemi's rule.
Gholamhossein Karabaschi, 44, was arrested April 4 on corruption and embezzlement charges leveled by Iran's highly conservative judicial branch. Supporters of the mayor, who helped engineer Khatemi's landslide election victory last May, denounced the arrest as politically motivated and demanded Karabaschi's immediate release.
The confrontation pits supporters of the president and mayor against religious hard-liners led by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Fears that the standoff could escalate into violence were partly realized Tuesday when riot police broke up a demonstration by as many as 4,000 university students marching in support of the mayor.
Apparently to head off further clashes, Khamenei agreed to the release on bail of Karabaschi from Tehran's notorious Evin prison…
While avoiding direct attacks on Khatemi, conservatives in parliament and other branches of government have trained their sights on his political allies, with Karabaschi topping the list. Several of the mayor's top aides were arrested immediately after Khatemi's election last year. Karabaschi was detained on orders from Iranian chief judge Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi…
Russia Linked to Iran Missiles, Dow
Jones News, April 16
JERUSALEM --The Russian government is deeply involved in all phases of Iran's missile project, the chief of Israeli military intelligence said Thursday, dismissing Moscow's repeated denials.
Russia hopes to increase its influence in the Middle East and undermine U.S. dominance by helping Iran, said the intelligence chief, said the intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Moshe Yaalon.
Yaalon said Iran is trying to build surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 1,300 kilometers that could strike Israel. He said Iran has already received know-how and equipment from North Korea.
Russia is providing components for the missile systems as well as professional advice and has participated in different stages of development…, unless the Russian aid is stopped, the missile project will be completed in a few years.