Mullahs' Regime Attempts to Prevent Scandal

According to the reports from Iran, the mullahs' regime had intended to cancel participation of its women NGOs in the Women's Fourth World Conference in Beijing, but did not do so to prevent an even greater political scandal.

The sources in Iran say the regime's officials were afraid of NGO members' speaking up against the regime and creating a scandal for it. Their concern was strengthened particularly after the two-day briefing conference where women protested the state-imposed compulsory veiling. The only reason for the regime's change of heart was that cancellation of the trips of the registered NGO members would have created an even greater scandal for the regime. The delegation of women from Tehran is the only delegation constantly being watched by a group of men and Revolutionary Guards.

Other reports from Iran indicate that the regime had tried for four months before the WFCW to convince Islamic government delegations to support the mullahs' backward viewpoints in Beijing. The ploy has not worked and no one has been willing to support the regime. The countries approached include Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan.

NCR Committee on the Rights and Freedoms of Women - Beijing September 8, 1995

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