In a message on the International Women’s Day, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect, lauded Iranian women for their heroic resistance against the mullahs’ misogynous regime. Citing their sacrifices and their all-out participation in the resistance’s military command and political leadership, Mrs. Rajavi described Iranian women as an unrivaled historical example.

Pointing to the recently published list of 3,208 Mojahedin prisoners executed during the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, Mrs. Rajavi said: The presence of hundreds of women in this list demonstrates that Iranian women have paid the price for participation in the liberating resistance with great sacrifice.

The Iranian Resistance’s President-elect added: The overwhelming boycott of the councils' election, especially by women, reflects Iranian women’s extensive opposition to this medieval regime. Only 1.5% of the candidates in the election were women.

Mrs. Rajavi underscored that nothing has changed as regards the situation of women during Khatami’s tenure. Despite his hollow claims and rhetoric, Khatami repeats what other leaders in this regime have been saying all along. He said for instance: "One of the West’s most serious mistakes was the emancipation of women, which led to the disintegration of families." Alluding to NCR's plans on the rights of women, she stressed: Today's Iran must not be identified with the mullahs, the embodiment of suppression and misogyny, but with a democratic and powerful Resistance which has become the focal point of hope for the people of Iran, especially women and youths.
 
 

Clerical Regime Admits Widespread Boycott of "Islamic Councils" Elections in Tehran, Iran Zamin News Agency, March 8

Ten days after the "Islamic Councils" elections, the clerical regime’s Interior Ministry announced this afternoon that the vote count in Tehran had ended and that 1,403,000 votes were cast in Tehran. This figure is only 23.7% of the eligible voters in the capital. There are 5.9 million eligible voters in the city of Tehran.

The actual number of those voting in the election farce in Tehran, however, was several times less than the figure announced by the regime.

The Interior Ministry announced that the leading candidate in Tehran had received 588,000 votes, less than 10% of the electorate. The last candidate had received 152,106 votes or 2.5% of the eligible voters.

Addressing all those who trumpeted the councils’ elections as a victory for Khatami and a pretext to legitimize expanding trade ties with the ruling regime, the NCR President Massoud Rajavi said: The Islamic Councils’ elections again confirmed the reality that the religious, terrorist dictatorship ruling Iran and all its factions are among those usurping the right of the Iranian people to a representative government and that economic and diplomatic relations with the theocratic regime ruling Iran run counter to the highest interests of the Iranian people.
 
 

Iranian Opposition Came Under Attack by Mullahs' Terrorists, Reuter, March 8

BAGHDAD - The Iranian opposition Mujahideen Khalq, based in Iraq, said on Monday Iranian agents ambushed one of its vehicles north of Baghdad.

It said in a statement Iranian "terrorists" had fired guns and tossed grenades at the vehicle near Khalis, 60 km (37 miles) north of Baghdad, in an attempt to kill Mujahideen passengers.

"The terrorists...had to flee when Mujahideen returned fire," it said, adding the attackers left behind two guns, several magazines and a number of grenades.

Mujahideen bases have been the targets of air and rocket attacks by Iran. Their office in Baghdad, ringed by a concrete wall, has survived come under several mortar and bomb attacks.
 
 

Heroin Use and AIDS Drug on the Rise in Iran, Reuter, March 4

TEHRAN - Heroin use is increasing in Iran and contributing to the spread of AIDS among addicts, a senior police official said in remarks published on Thursday.

There are around 1.2 million drug addicts among Iran's 60 million people, according to official figures, but the head of an anti-AIDS group has put the number at 3.6 million. Iran said in 1997 about 1,000 Iranians had AIDS.

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