DOMESTIC

Social problems

Salam, July 17, incoming calls - This is the second time the post office has opened the letters from my children. The first time it was my children's photographs. The post office had used so much steam on the letter that all the photos had stuck together and I had to put them in water to separate them. Today, they opened my letter for another time. This time, they had put tapes and stamps on the back of the letters. This is really some sort of theft. What must we do?

I am calling from Ahwaz. I read in the papers that Iran is the biggest exporter of electrical power to the world. This is while we have power cut offs from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. in this 40 degree heat. Are the officials heedful of these problems?

Number of female prisoners increased

News from Iran, July 14 - According to the reports received from Iran, the number of female prisoners in Tehran's notorious Evin prison has substantially increased. A prisoner recently released from Evin reports that female prisoners are under the most barbaric forms of torture.

Islamic human rights!

Tehran radio, July 15 - When asked about last year's report of the U.N. Special Representative Copithorne on Iran, the secretary of the Islamic Human Rights Committee said, "The mistake made by Copithorne and other rapporteurs of the United Nations is that they compare the Islamic values in our society with the values of western countries. They have not yet recognized that in a religious society, human rights are applied according to Islamic principles and not western values."

Internal feuding

Salam, July 16 - Why is it that the gap between the two main factions in the political scene gets wider and wider with the passage of time? ... The defeated faction resorts to humiliation in an attempt to defeat the future government. The victorious faction tries to counter the rivalries instead of focusing its power on finding solutions to the problems and running the affairs. This is a dangerous political disease. In the 20 years of this Islamic regime, there was never any time like today, when we experience this dreadful feeling of rivalries lead to enmity.

An overstaffed, inefficient diplomacy

Salam, political note, July 14 - There are many problems with the structure of the Foreign Ministry. This ministry is overstaffed and inefficient. The number of its employees has swelled from 3,000 to 8,000 and Velayati has an extraordinary group of 50 advisors. The conduct of the foreign ministry has in many times led to humiliation for our diplomacy. Some of the examples are the ministry's claims about mediation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Sudan and Uganda, Turkey and Greece, etc. These mediations are not taken serious by the relevant parties and have only won scorn for our country. While only a few foreign officials have visited Iran in recent years, our diplomatic corps regularly pack up and travel from one place to another.

Fearing outside intrusion

Akhbar daily, July 19 - In yesterday's Friday prayers, the commander of the Security Forces preceded the main sermons and said: Now that the enemy has been defeated in the eight-year war, it is targeting the country's internal security. Brigadier General Hedayat Lotfi added: The enemies are creating areas of insecurity in the Iranian borders, including in Afghanistan and in Iraq. To realize their objectives, they send in the necessary equipment for cultural offensive."

[Cultural offensive is the term the clerical regime uses for satellite broadcasting and cybernetic communication.]

New security stations

Ettela'at daily, July 16 - A special security station was opened in

Tehran's township of Rah-Ahan (The railroad) in the presence of General Ansari, deputy commander of the security forces. Commander of the Security Forces of the Greater Tehran, General Abolfat'hi, and commander of Tehran's western district, General Kiomarssi, and a number of political deputies in Tehran's governor's office were also present. General Ansari said: Our objective is to create complete security in the country by securing our borders. To this end, four new security stations have been opened in western Tehran.

Encouraging demoralized forces

Kermanshah radio, July 19 - Zarandi, the Friday prayer leader of Kermanshah: Our regime is based on values. Our people are alert. There are some people, however, who cause trouble for our nation... We, therefore, need a powerful force - as Khamenei said, the stronger, the better - to prevent corruption and provide security. Security is a very important issue... The parliament must do something for the security forces, for their housing, salaries, and equipment. Many of these forces have served for ten, twenty years, but do not have any housing. The officials must alleviate their problems... Security is a very important matter specially in the border provinces where the border is extended and the enemies of Islam and the revolution seek to create disorder. The province is also vast. Therefore the forces must become well equipped and provided with more resources. They must be practically encouraged, with housing, with salary. I believe the situation of the security forces is like that of the Judiciary. According to Islam, a judge must always enjoy a reasonable life, otherwise his performance in the job will be at risk...

Back Home