Three Kurdish dissidents killed

Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran radio, Nov. 10 - On the 25 and 26 of October, two KDP members, Hassan Salteh, son of Mostafa, and Omar Salteh, son of Mostafa, were executed. The two brothers had been arrested in 1995 and imprisoned in Oroumieh prison (northwestern Iran).

Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, Paris, Nov. 10 - In an attack by a group of the Islamic Republic forces on the party's camps in Tanjeroo, the Iraqi Kurdistan, one of the KDPI members, Hamed Salimi, was killed.

Seven hanged

AFP, Nov. 12 - According to the official Iranian news agency, a man accused of highjacking an Iranian airplane 12 years ago, was hanged. Gholamreza Vahidjou was hanged Wednesday after his death edict by the revolutionary court was approved by the Supreme Court of Justice.

AFP, Nov. 12 - Kayhan announced on Tuesday that six Iranians charged with murder and armed robbery were hanged in Tehran [Evin Prison].

NCR secretariat, Nov. 14 - The number of those executed since the beginning of October amounts to at least 36 persons. Obviously, the actual figure is much higher as many executions are carried out in secret.

Cruel punishment

Kayhan, Nov. 6 - A man convicted 12 times of stealing was punished by having the four fingers of his right hand cut off. The amputation was carried out at the Tehran criminal police headquarters on Tuesday....

Journalist disappeared

Pejvak radio, Sweden, Nov. 5 - On the night of Sunday, Nov. 3, Mr. Faraj Sarkouhi, critic and editor of Adineh, disappeared at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. Neither his friends in Berlin, nor his relatives at the airport have any news of him.

[In a statement on Nov. 14, the NCR revealed that Mr. Sarkouhi had been arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence on November 3 as he was getting on the plane to leave Iran for Germany. After 11 days of silence, the Khomeini regime's press reported that Mr. Sarkouhi had departed Tehran according to the schedule and entered Germany. The mullahs' Ministry of Intelligence disseminated such a bogus news to counter international pressure and at the same time prepare the grounds for conspiring against the life of Mr. Sarkouhi. Die Tages Zeitung reported on Nov. 13 that German representatives from all parliamentary factions wrote to Rafsanjani expressing their concern about Mr. Sarkouhi's fate.]

Writer "died"

Radio France International, Nov. 13 - Mr. Ghaffar Hosseini, Iranian poet and translator and member of the Writers' Guild, died last Monday in Tehran. The reason for his death was reported to be heart failure.

Human rights deteriorated

Reuters, Nov. 11, United Nations - A U.N. representative has concluded that the human rights situation in Iran "may well have deteriorated" this year. "In particular, the developments in the areas of executions, social atmosphere and criminal punishments, if confirmed after discussions with the Iranian authorities, are in (my) view egregious evidence that a culture of human rights remains to be established," Maurice Copithorne, a Canadian, said in a report circulated over the weekend.

"As will be seen from this report, the information reaching the special representative suggests that the condition of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran may well have deteriorated since his report earlier this year to the Commission on Human Rights."

But Copithorne said, according to the best information he had received, "the punishment regime in Iran would seem to have been significantly toughened." The Iranian and international press reported that at least 66 people were executed in Iran from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, he said, calling this a "significant increase over the figure of 50 persons executed that was noted by the special representative for 1995."

Copithorne also noted "a number of indications that the social climate in the Islamic Republic is becoming less tolerant." Among these were the closure of several newspapers by the authorities, the launching of a new television programme apparently aimed at "categorizing targeted intellectuals as social misfits or foreign spies," several physical attacks on cinemas to protest against films judged to be "contrary to Islamic and religious values," "forcible interventions to break up private social functions which on occasion resulted in death" and the disruption of meetings to be addressed by prominent dissidents. Some of these actions "are being carried out by agencies of the government while others are carried out by non-governmental groups but with government forces refusing to intervene," he said.

A number of reports had been received of the harassment or intimidation of relatives in Iran of political dissidents or sympathisers living abroad, Copithorne said. He said he had also received "statistics suggesting that politically motivated violence against Iranians outside the country was continuing unabated."

[NCR secretariat, Nov. 14, combined news dispatches - The mullahs' Foreign Minister described the Special Representative's report as "worthless" and said, "Human rights must be evaluated on the basis of our own cultural and religious interpretations." The spokesman for the regime's Foreign Ministry emphasized that the human rights situation in Iran will not be affected by the U.N. rapporteurs' reports and accused Prof. Copithorne of making use of "unverified and undocumented information." The mullahs' Deputy Chief of Judiciary also described the Special Representative's report as influenced by "international and regional political powers and trends." At the same time, the daily Kayhan urged the regime's leaders not to allow the Special Representative's visit to Iran.]

$1 bn. steel deal

Tehran radio, Nov. 9 - Iran signed a $1.07 billion deal with an Italian firm to set up two new steel plants and boost production in two others. The funding for the contract, signed for Iran by the state National Iranian Steel Company, included $561 million in long-term credits.

[London-based Middle East Economic Digest said in October Iran had activated a $561 million syndicated loan arranged by European and Japanese banks for a contract by Italy's Danieli & Co. to work on four steel projects in Iran. In a statement on Nov. 10, the NCR called on the Euro-Japanese Consortium and the Government of Italy to withdraw the loan and annul its guarantees.]

Death of fish

Kayhan, Nov. 7 - Industrial waste has killed 500,000 fish in the Kor river in southern Iran. A suit was filed against an industrial plant in Shiraz after an official environmental report accused it of dumping poisonous waste in the river.

In 1994, one million fish were killed in the same river allegedly by waste dumped by a sugar mill.

FOREIGN

Terrorist attack on Mojahedin

Mojahedin office, Baghdad, Nov. 13 - At 6.30 pm on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, terrorists sent by the mullahs' regime attacked a Mojahedin passenger car near the Iraqi town of Khalis. the Mojahedin in a car immediately returned fire, forcing the assailants to escape hurriedly in a white Toyota Hilux pickup truck, leaving behind a sizable quantity of guns and ammunition. The weapons and ammunition seized from the assailants are the same type used in previous terrorist assaults by the mullahs' regime against the Iranian Resistance on Iraqi territory.

One day, Rushdie will be killed!

Kayhan, Nov. 5 - Europe must understand that one day Rushdie will be executed at the hands of a Muslim....

Even if the leaders of the Islamic government sign revocation of Rushdie's death edict, this commitment and signature will not have any value....

Export of fundamentalism!

Reuters, Nov. 6 - Iranian state radio began short-wave broadcasts in Albanian, completing its coverage of the entire Islamic world, said Tehran radio. Iran's state-run radio had developed its 27 foreign language services "to reinforce the cultural foundations and Islamic values of the world's Moslems and to protect their genuine identity," the unnamed official said. The broadcasts include news, official commentary and Islamic programmes.

Pro-Iran group crushed in Egypt

AFP, Nov. 5 - The Egyptian Interior Minister, Hassan Al-Alfi, announced Tuesday that a Shiite organization in Egypt was destroyed in October. The organization planned to turn Egypt into an Iranian Caliphate and its members are accused of conspiracy for overthrowing of the government by force....

In five Egyptian provinces, 56 Shiites were arrested on October 20 and were accused of belonging to an underground organization linked to Iran....

Iranian rockets for Hezbollah

AP, Nov. 6 - Iran has produced a long-range rocket and Western experts believe Hezbollah guerrillas are using it against Israeli forces and their militia allies in southern Lebanon, according to Jane's Defense Weekly. The 240 mm artillery rocket has a range of more than 25 miles...

Jane's said it obtained a brochure from the Iranian defense industry with photos and details of the unguided multiple rocket system called FADJR-3....

How Iran Nearly Got Nuke Gear

The Washington Times, Nov. 2 - The Kazakh ambassador to the United States says that Iran attempted to buy unidentified materials from a major Soviet nuclear facility in his country....

Mr. Nurgaliyev said that in 1992, as a newly independent Kazakhstan sought to deal with the tremendous nuclear arsenal on its soil, Iranian representatives made contact with the Ust-Kamenogorsk facility and sought certain "things."

The ambassador, who was chief of national security and arms control at the time, provided a sketchy account....

British minister slams Iran on arms, "terrorism"

Reuters, Nov. 17, Dubai - Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Portillo condemned Iran for allegedly backing terrorism and possessing weapons of mass destruction.

Michael Portillo, on a visit to the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, criticised Iran for "possessing weapons of mass destruction, supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear arms," the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

"None of your business!"

Reuters, Nov. 7 - "Security in the Middle East and cooperation between this region's countries is no business of Britain's foreign minister," said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, quoted by state-run Tehran radio.

British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind proposed in Abu Dhabi on Monday a body along the lines of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to encourage investment and regional cooperation.

Dialogue has not improved rights Le Monde, Nov. 10-11 - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister arrived in Paris on Nov. 8 for a two day visit....

Critical dialogue, however, did not manage to put a decisive end to the deviant behavior Iran is accuese of, including in the field of human rights. An Iranian intellectual says: "The present situation resembles that of China of the 70's. For [the mullahs] badly need to break out of economic and diplomatic isolation. Our leaders constantly make some moves toward the West, but this has always been like a cold shower for us. The situation has deteriorated...."

Inside Iran, the Special Representative says the condition of human rights has clearly deteriorated and we see a growing lack of tolerance including from the government organs. Testimonies by many Iranians also indicate a toughening of conditions.

Who's criticizing whom?

Radio France International, Nov. 8 - Interview with Mahmoud Va'ezi, Khomeini regime's deputy Foreign Minister, upon his visit to France:

Q: It seems that there has been some progress in critical dialogue between the two parties.

A: It has been four years that with the agreement of both sides, critical dialogue has started between Iran and the European Union. The essence of these talks is to enable Iran to express its criticisms of the European countries' treatment of Islam and Iran. At the same time, the other party, the EU, would be able to express its criticisms toward Iran in a very close and friendly atmosphere... There are some subjects on which each party has its own views and its own logic. Overall, if Iran has a position toward something, it has a steadfast logic behind it, too, which is respected both by us and by others in the EU.

FEATURE

Iran's State of Terror

Time magazine, Nov. 11 - Where terrorism is concerned, however, Iran's actions speak louder than its words. The number of Iran-backed assassinations is actually on the rise- 14 so far this year, compared with five for all of 1995. Moreover, U.S. intelligence agencies and dissident groups believe that Iranian agents may be preparing to increase their firepower in future hits. Last March, Belgian authorities searched the Iranian ship Kolahdooz in the port of Antwerp. Packed in crates shipped by an Iranian food company was a specially-designed high-calibre mortar launcher with a range of more than 630 meters. The shells, containing 125 kg of TNT, had a special fuse made to detonate in mid-air and spread deadly shrapnel for hundreds of meters to maximize casualties.

If Tehran's reputation as terrorist state is already well established, the Mykonos case provides some of the most compelling evidence to date of high-level government involvement in political assassinations. The German prosecutor's report identifies defendant Darabi as "an agent of the Iranian intelligence service VEVAK" whose assignment was to "liquidate" Sharafkandi as part of a government "persecution strategy... against the Iranian opposition." A secret report by the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, Germany's counterintelligence agency, flatly states that "a branch of the extra-territorial operations directorate in the Ministry of Intelligence of Iran was directly involved" in the Mykonos murders.

German judicial authorities are so convinced of Iranian government responsibility that the Federal Supreme Court last March took the unprecedented step of issuing an international arrest warrant for Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian. "There is strong suspicion," states the warrant, "that the murders were directed by the Iranian Ministry for Intelligence and Security."

SPECIAL REPORT

Danish Parliament proposes to end critical dialogue with mullahs' regime Iranian Resistance lauds measure as a decisive first step

NCR Secretariat - Paris, Nov. 15, 1996 - Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, described the Danish Parliament's passing of a new policy proposal to government for the adoption of a comprehensive and decisive policy against the mullahs' dictatorship as courageous and admirable. He pointed out that the parliamentary measure indicates the people of Denmark's solidarity with the Iranian people and Resistance and expressed hope that other member-states of the European Union would follow suit.

In a parliamentary session yesterday, Danish deputies passed a proposal calling for decisiveness against the mullahs' religious, terrorist dictatorship and dialogue with the opposition which strives for democracy and human rights in Iran. The proposal was moved by the Social Democratic Party of Denmark on behalf of all the ruling coalition parties. A delegation from the National Council of Resistance attended this session upon the invitation of parliamentary deputies.

The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and some other Cabinet members were also present. A number of deputies expressed support for the democratic positions and conduct of the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect, Maryam Rajavi. They described the policy of critical dialogue with the Khomeini regime as futile and a failure.

In his remarks to the parliamentary session, Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen emphasized that Denmark's policy toward Iran has entered a new phase and it is important to establish dialogue with those who believe in human rights and democracy. In the past two-three years, the opposition has proven in practice that it struggles for human rights, Mr. Rasmussen added. In lauding the measure, Mr. Rajavi emphasized that the unanimous vote of the Danish parliamentarians against the mullahs indicates the futility of all appeasing policies, such as "critical dialogue." Appeasement will only embolden the mullahs in stepping up repression and export of terrorism, Mr. Rajavi added.

The NCR President called on the European Union to set aside the policy of critical dialogue and respect the Iranian people's unanimous will for democracy and human rights in their homeland, by adopting a decisive policy toward Iran's ruling mullahs.

** Information, Nov. 13 - The Unity List is working with the People's Socialist Party to gain a majority in the parliament and oblige the government to undertake a more active policy against the clerical regime. That would include the beginning of dialogue with the regime's opponents both in and out of Iran. The spokesman for the People's Socialist Party, Gert Petersen says: "The mullahs' regime has indeed not moderated. Rather, it continues with its own ways as it has always done. Once this is recognized, it leads to a new dialogue with the opposition." The Foreign Minister has on various occasions discouraged parliamentarians from talking to the opponents of Iran's clerical regime, he said. The time has come to change this direction. The government has not only refused to talk to the opposition, itself, but has repeatedly advised others against doing so while it was pursuing the policy of critical dialogue with the regime....

Jørgen Estrup, leader of the parliamentary Radical Left group, the Foreign Minister's party, takes up a positive tone towards the initiative by the People's Socialist Party and the Unity List. He says: Dialogue with Iran's clerical regime is not producing results. We must take advantage of any opportunity to talk to Iranian opposition groups.

** Channel 1 TV, Denmark, Nov. 14 - The Parliament of Denmark today adopted a proposal which increases the pressure on Iran. The Merchants' Commission, however, is opposed to it.

The leader of the People's Socialist Party said: This is nothing new. Whenever human rights take a higher priority, it is accompanied by some economic loss. In this case, we have already reached agreement that human rights must take precedence.

Søren Søndergaard, the spokesman for the Unity List said: This proposal was ratified to bring increasing pressure on the Iranian regime and we will pursue this until it is put into practice.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, spokesman for the Liberal Party said: Of course that human rights must have preference over economic trade! And there are no doubts that this would entail economic loss, but human rights must have priority. Per Stig Møller, spokesman for the Conservative Party said: Observance of human rights is more important than economic trade.

** Berlingske, Nov. 14 - Farzin Hashemi, member of the National Council of Resistance was upbeat yesterday. He had come from the NCR's international bureau in Paris to follow the discussions on the parliamentary agenda on Iran. A sharp policy toward the mullahs' regime in Iran is the price the Government of Denmark had to pay for emerging from the scandal created over the Rushdie affair, and it is exactly what Farzin Hashemi has fought for for years. As one of the 572 members of the National Council of Resistance which is officially called the democratic parliament in exile, he can but laud a pointed policy toward his motherland. He specifically emphasizes on the point that human rights must take precedence over economic interests in the Danish foreign policy. He hopes that this policy would expand to others, specially bigger countries.

** BT, Nov. 14 - Much more must be done before the exiled Iranians in Denmark could feel their wishes have come true. For them, the parliamentary proposal yesterday to adopt a tougher policy toward Iran was only a first step. Farzin Hashemi, representative of the Iranian National Council of Resistance says: "We hope that this would be only a first step in a new foreign policy toward Iran. The next steps ought to be a complete trade embargo and severance of diplomatic ties."

Ordinary Iranians who have fled the mullahs' reign of terror had also come to the parliament and sat among the audience to follow up the discussions on a new "Iran policy" and the Rushdie affair.

Nahid, a former employee of the Iranian national radio who is a seven year political refugee in Denmark, says: "Salman Rushdie forgot to mention all those who have paid the price. All the Iranian writers who have been executed and all the other victims. I, myself, have lost eight members of my family."

Saeed said: "The Danish government is not honest. On the one hand it wants to show its dismay at the Iranian regime, and on the other it wants to pursue the Fetta cheese trade with Iran. If Denmark and other western countries sever relations with Iran, then we can settle our accounts with the clerical regime."

Farzin Hashemi says: "100,000 have been executed, but we must now look up to the future. We anxiously await the Foreign Minister's next move."

** BT, Nov. 15 - The mullahs' no. 1 enemy:
Like Salman Rushdie, the Ayatollah Khomeini has set a bounty for her head. One million dollars for Maryam Rajavi, dead or alive. She is alive but this bounty clearly shows how much the mullahs in Tehran are afraid of Maryam Rajavi and her People's holy warriors. Her movement is both militarily and politically the greatest threat to the mullahs' rule. Rajavi and her group are Muslims, but from the moderate and left type which is committed to democracy. Maryam Rajavi clearly denounces the death decree for Salman Rushdie.

** Politiken, Nov. 14 - This was obviously a progress for the parliament to instruct the government to enter dialogue with Iranian opposition groups. But this is not enough. These are the words of the representative of one of the largest Iranian opposition groups, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. It is also necessary to use the boycott against Iran. The mullahs take advantage of foreign trade to provide the means for public suppression and for nuclear weapons, said Farzin Hashemi. He is spending these days in Copenhagen to improve the status of his organization following the storm created by the Rushdie Affair. He is happy despite every thing because a parliamentary majority instructed the government to narrow down its Iran policy. The clerical regime will take the criticisms serious if they learn that there is a simultaneous relationship with the opposition groups. It is only then that an alternative takes shape against the regime, Farzin Hashemi says.

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