A group known as the "Organization of Fada'ian of Genuine Muhammadan Islam", in its latest statement, has announced: "The Fada'ian of Genuine Muhammadan Islam have succeeded in rebuilding their dispirited forces. And thanks to the efforts of this organization's judicial unit, three brave [Fada'ian] judges have managed to investigate six files. In the wake of their investigations, the judges have tried the six individuals and have issued their verdicts against them in their absence. The judges found the accused in these files guilty of corruption on earth.

By relying on the desired reflection of history... the courageous members of this organization's operational unit have rolled up their sleeves and are ready for martyrdom [in pursuit of their objective to carry out the verdict], and at the appropriate time, shall execute the verdict of Almighty God [which is death]."
 
 

"Expect More Attacks on Press", (State-controlled daily) Iran News (Editorial), February 9

General Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) said in a recent speech that: "The enemy has overrun the bunkers of the press in this country."

Once again, on the eve of the extremely sensitive and fateful Sixth Majlis elections, we are witnessing an all out assault on the fourth pillar of democracy, which is the press…

Jailing the cartoonist, Nikahang Kossar, who had allegedly insulted Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, did not help to calm the situation. As a matter of fact things went from bad to worse. In some election campaign speeches in the past few days, the flames sere fanned even more. Certain issues dangerous to the press have been taken up in some of these speeches…
 
 

Rising Political Tension Turns Physical, Agence France Presse, February 9

TEHRAN - The brother of Khatami blasted those trying to boost political tension throughout Iran Wednesday, nine days before elections and two days after he was stoned at an electoral meeting.

An aide said a meeting at a stadium at Andimeshk in the southwest province of Khuzestan was disrupted by fundamentalist conservatives, injuring one person.

Over recent days, other Front [a pro-Khatami group] election meetings have been disrupted in the northern city of Rasht and other provincial towns, the press reported Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, a Front election meeting at Tehran's polytechnic institute was cancelled at the last moment without explanation.
 
 

Ban on Rafsanjani's Presidency Review Condemned, (Sate-Controlled) Fath, February 10

In a statement the Student organization "Office of the Consolidation Unity" (OCU) condemned the cancellation of the Rafsandjani presidency review which was scheduled to take place at the Amir Kabir Univeristy of Tehran.

The review was supposed to gather several critics such as Shams ol-Vaezin, Sahabi, Hajarian, Armen and several other personalities in order to evaluate Rafsandjani's 8 years presidency.

In part of the statement the OCU is declaring: "The meeting for reviewing Rafsandjani's presidency had been planned for a long time and we can witness that some groups have started their attacks on the students even before getting elected in the new Majlis...
 
 

One-Week Campaign, Cleric's Style, Starts, Reuters, February 10

TEHRAN - Iran's one-week election campaign began Thursday, but tight electioneering rules threatened to obscure the high-stakes struggle between rival factions for control of parliament.

Revolutionary Guards chief Major-General Yahya Rahim Safavi, an outspoken hard-liner, accused the United States of meddling in the polls.

"The Americans ... aim to push their line in our country as to who should enter parliament," the official news agency IRNA quoted Safavi as saying.

He was reacting to recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who had said Washington hoped the polls would bring the estranged former allies closer together.

Iran's election rules limit campaigning to a one-week span, ending 24 hours before the poll. Other regulations ban color posters, placards and truck-mounted loud speakers.
 
 

Mullahs' "Muscle-Flexing" Across Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, February 10

The mullahs' regime has been conducting an unprecedented number of military maneuvers and exercises in cities and regions across the country in the run-up to the February 18 farce elections.

The Wednesday issue of the state-run daily Ressalat, quoting Brig. Gen. Hedayatollah Lotfian, the commander of the State Security Forces, wrote with regard to the Saturday mortar attack on the palaces of Khamenei and Rafsanjani in Tehran's top-security zone: "Tehran is afflicted with acute security problems."

In Tehran, the Guards' Sarollah HQ, assigned to the suppression of antigovernment protests and upheavals in the capital, staged extensive maneuvers with the aim of "countering any act of rioting of a political or social nature."
 
 

New Repressive Measures in the Run-Up to Majlis Elections, Iran Zamin News Agency, February 10

The clerical regime in Iran has stepped up its jamming of Mojahedin's radio station, Voice of Mojahed, and has launched a nation-wide "dish-hunt" to confiscate satellite receivers and antennas.

This campaign is a part of the mullahs' latest efforts to prevent the people from hearing the Iranian Resistance's calls for a total boycott of the sham parliamentary elections.

In addition, the mullahs' regime has recently started strong jamming of Persian-language radio broadcasts by foreign governments into Iran

The state-subsidized Akhbar-e Eqtesad on September 25 warned that "television broadcasts belonging to political groups opposed to the Iranian regime enjoy a viewership which is several times higher than the number of people who read the '2nd Khordad' (pro-Khatami) dailies. These satellite programs are within easy reach and in them, the worst types of insults are made against clerical and political figures (of the regime) and the people are incited to overthrow the regime."
 
 

5 Million Identity Cards of Dead or Missing For Voting, Tehran Times, February 10

TEHRAN - A lawmaker yesterday warned officials that he had authentic information that there are five million identity cards of those who have either died or listed missing for one or other reasons.

Deputy Mohammadreza Taraqi in an interview with the Tehran Times said, "The official responsible for holding the elections, should be vigilant and should not allow violators of the election laws to misuse these identity cards."

Commenting on other issues he said that the Executives of Construction Party (ECP) must answer the questions related to the period of the so-called reconstruction.' Taraqi from Mashhad on the phone yesterday said, "with the arrival of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in the race, the 2nd Khordad groups got a political shock."
 
 

Poll Coalition Split in Tehran, The Financial Times, February 10

Divisions within the… coalition backing… Khatami have been exposed, on the eve of Iran's week-long parliamentary election campaign, by its failure to agree on a common list of candidates for the key Tehran constituency.

Members of the coalition, known as the May 23 Front, admitted that after weeks of wrangling the 18 parties could not find enough common candidates, and that each would present a separate list.

A profusion of reformist candidates will divide the vote, to the benefit of the rival conservative bloc that currently controls a parliamentary majority.
 

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