Riots in East Tehran

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 19 - In an extensive clash in East Tehran on Sunday August 17, between the people and the State Security Forces, several government buildings were badly damaged, reports from Tehran say. At least two persons were killed, 25 wounde d and a large number arrested.

The riots erupted when the agents of Tehran's 15th district municipality, supported by the Revolutionary Guards Corps, raided Massoudieh township on Khavaran Avenue and razed newly built houses. Four persons were buried under the rubbles and seriously injured.

A large number of people rushed to the scene and staged a protest. They marched to the municipality of zone 6 in the 15th district. The municipal building was badly damaged in clashes between the people and the Guards, and dozens of vehicles belonging to the government and the State Security Forces were destroyed. At least seven members of the state security forces and the Guards Corps were also wounded in these clashes.

Vote of Confidence!!!

Tehran radio, Aug. 21, political analysis - The cabinet of President Khatami was approved yesterday when the representatives of our people gave it vote of confidence. This was but another important event in the political scene... The Majlis deputies' confidence in members of the cabinet is by no means tantamount to overlooking the legal authority of the Majlis over the conduct of the government. The Majlis, therefore, endorses the programs of the members of the government. At the same time, however, it reserves the right to use its legal authority to oversee the conduct of these ministers and the whole executive branch.

Can't do whatever it wishes...

Tehran radio, Aug. 22, Tehran's Friday prayer sermon - Mullah Jannati, Secretary of Guardians Council: You must know that this country is ruled by certain fundamentals... Any government that comes to power should observe these fundamentals and they are observed...

One of these principles is the motto of "No to the East and to the West." We do not compromise on the issue of America and Israel. As long as they are hostile towards us, we will be hostile to them...

It is not that the government can do whatever it wants, or what the people want. There are many things that the people demand and the government wishes to realize them as well, but it can't. The government should not have the power to realize whatever it wants or the people want. We know that there are restrictions...

Continuity in past policies and loyalty to Khomeini

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 20 - The program proposed by Khatami's cabinet, his own and his ministers' remarks yesterday and today in the Majlis, confirmed that the mullahs' new president is neither inclined nor capable of bringing any serious change or refo rm in Iran's ruling theocracy. Khatami and his ministers stressed on continuing suppressive and terrorist policies and reaffirmed their

loyalty to Khomeini and the policies of Khamenei. In his remarks, Khatami emphasized on the need to use violence to preserve the existence of the regime. He said he would expand the regime's security and information gathering networks "to confront serious external and internal threats." He also said one' s freedom is conditional upon one's "adherence to Islam." The criminal mullahs ruling Iran have committed the most horrible crimes against the Iranian people under the banner of Islam for the past 18 years. All of Khatami's cabinet ministers are from among the ministers and officials of the previous governments. Not even a single minister was picked from outside the elite that has been ruling Iran for the last 18 years. No less than 14 of the ministers were officials of the Guards Corps, directly involved in repression and warmongering. The ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Islamic Guidance, Intelligence, and Roads and Transportation also have long records in export of fundamentalism and terrorism.

The two-day debates in Majlis and the revelations made by different factions against one another well demonstrated that Khatami's presidency and the mullahs' troika leadership have escalated the conflicts within the regime. The debates further displaye d the plundering of the Iranian people's national wealth by the highest officials of the regime.

Who is the new Minister of Intelligence?

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 19 - In an interview with the mullahs' news agency, IRNA, Qorban-Ali Dorri Najafabadi, Khatami's nominee for Minister of Intelligence, stressed upon "realizing Khomeini's ideals" and "tough approach to subversive elements."

Revealing his intention, "to use popular intelligence sources," Najafabadi acknowledged that he intends to expand the Intelligence Ministry's network of suppression and information gathering across the country.

Najafabadi also stressed the need to maintain "strength and discipline" in government offices, indicating that suppressing any form of protest or voice of dissent at the work place has priority on his agenda.

Najafabadi openly expressed concern about the escalation of the Resistance's activities and increasing public opposition to the regime, describing them as "the enemies' threats and conspiracies." Referring to "the expansion of cultural contacts, commun ications and well organized onslaught of the enemies of the Islamic Republic," he displayed the mullahs' paranoia over the Resistance's radio and television programs.

For some time, Dorri Najafabadi was the Friday prayer leader of Shahr-e Kurd and a religious judge in Chahar-Mahal Baktiari Province, western Iran. After Khomeini's death, Khamenei gave him the task of spying on Hossein-Ali Montazeri (Khomeini's depose d successor). Informed of his intentions, Montazeri shunned him. Najafabadi was also a member of the council overseeing the radio and television programs and of the central council of the Society of Combatant Clergy. As such, he has had a long record in i ntelligence gathering, surveillance, inquisition, repression, and censorship.

Woman advisor, a hostage taker

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 24 - Mullah Mohammad Khatami named as his deputies another six of the regime's veteran officials who played some of the most significant roles in the past 18 years in repression and export of terrorism. Massoumeh Ebtekar, named as Khatami's deputy and head of the organization for environmental protection, was one of the three main students involved in the occupation of the American Embassy in Tehran and the hostage taking of U.S. diplomats in 1979. Subse quently, she was actively engaged in export of terrorism and repression of women. She last served in the women's section in Rafsanjani's office and headed the bureau for coordination among non-governmental organizations.

Mullah Abdolvahed Moussavi Lari served in Khomeini's office for years and was a member of the Association of Combatant Clerics (Majma-e Rouhanion-e Mobarez, formerly known as the Line of the Imam [Khomeini]). This faction holds the most totalitarian vi ews on domestic policy, export of terrorism, and state-controlled economy and has demonstrated hysteric enmity to western countries. Mohammad Hashemi, Rafsanjani's brother, was one of the founders of the regime's Intelligence Ministry. He headed the state-run radio and television and has been one of the top officials in charge of censorship. Along with Mohajerani, Khatami's Minister of Guidance, he was a member of the committee set up in Tehran in 1993 to plot the assassination of Arafat. In another development, Ali Khamenei, the mullahs' leader named Ali Akbar Velayati as his advisor in international affairs. The regime's official cabinet therefore has to practically compete with three other cabinets taking shape around Khamenei, Rafsanjani and Khatami, himself. The presence of such parallel centers of power in the troika leadership of the mullahs' regime will seriously and rapidly weaken the system in its entirety.

Giving priority to "sincere troops"

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 25 - Mohammad Khatami and his ministers met yesterday with Ali Khamenei, the mullahs' leader. While stressing the need to continue the regime's past policies, Khatami said maintaining security and confronting "[foreign] cultural o nslaught" are his government's priorities. Referring to the Revolutionary Guards Corps and Bassij forces, Khamenei stressed that Khatami must always give priority to the interests of Hezbollah groups, whom he described as the regime's "sincere and honest troops," even when they run counter to the interests of the general public. The reason, Khamenei explained, was that they were the only people who would rush to the aid of the regime in critical and sensitive conditions.

30 executed in Iran

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 19 - At least 30 persons were hanged in the past weeks in different Iranian cities charged with such offenses as drug trafficking and banditry.

Two men in the southern Iranian city of Boushehr (Aug. 19), five men in Gonabad (Aug. 6) , three men in Birjand (July 29), two men in Khorramabad and a man and a woman in Isfahan (July 30), twelve men in Mashhad (July 14), two men in Kashmar (July 10), and two men in Shahroud (July 10) were hanged in public.

Assassination of Kurds

NCR Secretariat, Aug. 21 - In the afternoon of Tuesday, August 19, the bus carrying a number of members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran was targeted in an armed attack near Dokan by terrorists of the mullahs' religious, terrorist dictatorship . The bus was headed for Solaymania, Iraqi Kurdistan. In this savage attack, three members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, Saeed Moradi, Ali Zokaleh, and Isma'il Namaki, were killed and nine others wounded.

Preparing for further clampdown

Tehran radio, Aug. 24 - The Council for the Exigencies of the State continued its deliberation of the law to combat drug trafficking and toughen the punishment of drug traffickers. It adopted one article of this law. According to this law the punishmen ts for trafficking, producing, hiding, and selling drugs as well as purchasing, selling or keeping the equipment for using drugs are intensified. Convicts will be condemned to the designated punishments. According to the law ratified by this Council, the charges for drug traffickers have been increased ten fold and Judicial authorities will enjoy freer rein in tougher approach to the "merchants of death."

Shortage of space in prisons

Ressalat, Aug. 18 - Mr. Arab Baghi, one of the representatives of Orumieh in Majlis, presented a report on the condition of prisoners in the meeting of the administrative council of Western Azerbaijan province. He said: 1,825 prisoners have not yet been charged. The prison is made for 1,700 to 1,800 persons, and therefore, the authorities must quickly attend to this problem.

Women's committee members are half men

Hamshahri daily, Aug. 24 - Elections for the board of directors of the Committee on Women, Family and Youth was carried out today in Majlis. Marzieh Dastjerdi was elected chairwoman, Ibrahim Azizi first vice chairman, Ali Mo'alemi, second vice c hairman, Monireh Nobakht rapporteur, Hamid Taraqqi first secretary and Elaheh Rastgoo second secretary... On the reason why some of the woman deputies did not become members of this committee, one Majlis deputy said: "Based on the plan ratified in the Maj lis, not all women can become members of committees."

Girl children quit school

Jomhouri Islami, Aug. 14 - Statistics show that every year many girl children quit school in urban and rural areas. In the last academic year alone, 54,829 girls quit school in cities and villages. Some 65% resided in the villages and 34% in the cities.

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