RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 32, 28 August 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL’s Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* IRAN AVOIDS DIRECT ANSWER, BUT READY FOR ‘SERIOUS TALKS’
* IRANIAN NUCLEAR DEMANDS YIELD VARIOUS RESPONSES
* IRAN MARKS RELIGIOUS DAY
* SUPREME LEADER’S ADVISER DISCOURAGES NUCLEAR CONCESSIONS
* IRAN TESTS MISSILES DURING WAR GAMES
* U.S. INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN FOUND LACKING
* IRAN SEIZES ROMANIAN OIL RIG IN PERSIAN GULF
* HIZBALLAH ENVOY IN IRAN SAYS GROUP WON’T LEAVE SOUTH OR DISARM
* PARLIAMENT PASSES ANTICORRUPTION LEGISLATION
* IRAN SEEKS INVOLVEMENT IN NORWEGIAN ENERGY SECTOR
* GASOLINE IMPORTS REACH IRAN
* HUNDREDS OF ISFAHAN TEXTILE WORKERS CLAIM BACK WAGES
* JAILED WRITER’S CONFESSION HAS A FAMILIAR RING TO IT
*********************************************** *************
IRAN AVOIDS DIRECT ANSWER, BUT READY FOR ‘SERIOUS TALKS.’
Iran responded on August 22 to an international proposal on
Tehran’s disputed nuclear program by saying it is ready for
"serious talks." Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary
Ali Larijani gave representatives from China, Russia, Britain,
Germany, France, and Switzerland (representing U.S. interests) a
written response to an international incentives package at a meeting
in Tehran. The proposal is aimed at persuading the Islamic republic
to abandon its controversial uranium-enrichment program and other
sensitive activities.
Details have not yet emerged of the statement that Larijani,
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, gave to diplomats. But Mohammad
Saidi, a top official in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran,
provided strong hints at the nature of the response.
Saidi said today that the international proposal has
"fundamental and serious ambiguities." He added that although
suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment is no longer an
appropriate precondition, Tehran is willing to hold talks, Mehr News
Agency reported. Saidi also criticized aspects of the proposal that
emphasize deterrence and ignore nuclear cooperation.
Iran has also rejected the possibility of suspending uranium
enrichment, Fars News Agency reported. Iranian officials have been
saying the same thing for months. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid
Reza Assefi gave a strong hint at the Iranian stance in his August 20
press conference, when he said Iran is not considering suspension of
its enrichment activities.
Larijani also reiterated that Tehran sees moves to take its
case to the UN Security Council as "illegal."
Consistent Line
The offer from the five permanent members of the UN Security
Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United
States) plus Germany was followed in late July by Security Council
Resolution 1696, which calls on Iran to halt sensitive nuclear
activities by the end of August or face the possibility of economic
and political sanctions.
Iran thus finds itself in a position that it has avoided for
years through a combination of diplomacy and deception. This
situation can be attributed to the hard-line ideology of President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s administration and the support it is
receiving from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The hard-line sentiments were strengthened when Ahmadinejad
announced on April 11 that Iranians have "enriched uranium to the
enrichment level required by nuclear power plants," state television
reported.
More recently, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on
August 21 that "arrogant powers, led by America," fear Islamic
countries’ progress and are trying to block Iran’s scientific
and technological development, state television reported. Therefore,
he continued, Iran will continue its nuclear pursuits.
What Was Offered
European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and
Security Policy Javier Solana gave the proposal to Iranian officials
in Tehran on June 6. The proposal called on Iran to cooperate fully
with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), "suspend all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities," and "resume
implementation of the Additional Protocol [of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)]."
In exchange, the six countries would suspend Security Council
talks on the Iranian nuclear program. Moreover, they would back
Iran’s right to have a peaceful nuclear program that conforms
with its NPT obligations. Construction of light-water reactors in
Iran, furthermore, would be backed. Future cooperation would include
a nuclear cooperation agreement between Iran and Euratom, cooperation
on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, and
assistance in nuclear-related research and development. Other issues
included assurances on the provision of nuclear fuel, including
enrichment at a joint facility in Russia.
The June proposal mentioned political and economic
incentives, too. There would be a regional security conference. Iran
would be fully integrated into the international economy — including
membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) — and there would
be a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU. Restrictions would
be lifted on the sale of European and U.S. manufactured parts for
civilian aircraft. A long-term Iran-EU energy partnership would be
created, and restrictions on the use of U.S. telecommunications
equipment in Iran might be eliminated. There would be cooperation in
the high-technology and agriculture sectors, too.
Where To Now?
If Iran continues its uranium-enrichment activities and does
not comply with Resolution 1696, the Security Council could impose
commercial or diplomatic sanctions — per Chapter 7 of the UN
Charter. The overseas travel of Iranian officials could be restricted
and their assets frozen; there could be restrictions on Iranian
sports teams’ participation in international competitions; and
there could be major economic embargoes.
It is unlikely that there will be much enthusiasm on the
Security Council for any serious sanctions. Resistance will come
primarily from Moscow and Beijing — in part due to their
geopolitical competition with the United States. China, furthermore,
gets much of its energy from Iran. European powers get oil from Iran,
and the country is a significant market for European goods.
There is concern that Iran would respond to sanctions by
restricting oil exports. Indeed, Iran accounts for some 10 percent of
global oil reserves and is OPEC’s second-largest producer. Yet
Iran is heavily reliant on its oil revenues, which account for 40-50
percent of the state budget and 80-90 percent of total export
earnings. Petroleum Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh has dismissed use
of the so-called oil weapon, although other officials have mentioned
it.
Iranian withdrawal from the NPT is another possible response
by Tehran. President Ahmadinejad hinted at this possibility in
February, and doing so now would conform to his confrontational
foreign policy style. Alaedin Borujerdi, chairman of the
legislature’s national security and foreign policy committee,
said on August 21 that NPT compliance would no longer apply if
pressure on Iran continued, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
reported.
Military action against the Iranian nuclear program is a
remote possibility. Tehran has responded to this risk with a new
doctrine of asymmetric warfare. Iran also reportedly has links with
Iraqi insurgents who could act against coalition forces.
Additionally, Tehran believes U.S. forces are already overstretched
with Iraq and Afghanistan and cannot commit to another military
confrontation.
Iran also has engaged in saber-rattling, although this may be
intended to reassure a domestic audience rather than frighten a
foreign one. Iran displayed the new Fajr-3 missile, torpedoes, and
other weapons during war games in the Persian Gulf, Straits of
Hormuz, and Sea of Oman in late March and early April. These
exercises allowed Iran to show its naval forces’ area-denial
capabilities. Iran is currently holding five-week long military
exercises in 16 provinces.
Where Did Things Go Wrong?
The Iranian nuclear program got under way even before the
Islamic Revolution of 1978-79, and it has taken a long time for it to
reach the stage of a UN Security Council resolution.
It was not until August 2002 that an opposition group
revealed the existence of a uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz and
a heavy-water plant at Arak; it was not until June 2003 that the IAEA
said Iran is not in compliance with the NPT. Yet in the following
years, Iran continued to negotiate with Europe and avoid referral to
the Security Council.
No international consensus on the gravity of the situation
emerged until September 2005, when the IAEA confirmed that Iran had
resumed uranium conversion at Isfahan.
The current situation can be attributed to the newfound
emphasis on ideology in foreign policy, according to Hojatoleslam
Hassan Rohani. Rohani is currently the supreme leader’s
representative on the Supreme National Security Council, and for 16
years he was the council’s secretary. In that position, he was
Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator from October 2003 until his
replacement in August 2005.
Rohani said in late July that the country is paying a heavy
price at the moment, and he spoke out against critics of the
diplomatic process who failed to understand the value of the
concessions Iran was receiving from Europe, "Etemad" reported on July
23.
Rohani met with President-elect Ahmadinejad for the first
time shortly after the 2005 election. Asked later if there are any
differences between the incoming administration and that of President
Mohammad Khatami, Rohani conceded that there might be "some
differences of opinion" regarding the suspension of uranium
enrichment, "Sharq" reported on July 14, 2005. Nobody opposes talks
with Europe, he continued, "but there may be some differences of
opinion…with some other issues."
In the 2005 interview with "Sharq," Rohani stressed that Iran
must avoid worrying other countries and isolating itself. "We have to
interact with the world for the sake of our country’s
development," he said. "If what we envisaged for the next 20 years is
to see a developed Iran ranking first in the region from the
scientific, technological, and economic aspects, can we achieve this
objective without interaction with the industrial world?"
Rohani went on to note the significance of Europe, Russia,
Japan, China, and other industrialized states, and he emphasized the
importance to Iran of diplomacy and the danger of isolation.
By now, it is obvious that Rohani’s advice was ignored,
and he is not impressed. Several months ago, Rohani referred to
"upstarts that have no experience and track record," "Etemad"
reported on June 15.
How the Ahmadinejad team reacts next will color Iran’s
relations with the world for years to come. (Bill Samii)
IRANIAN NUCLEAR DEMANDS YIELD VARIOUS RESPONSES. Supreme National
Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said on August 24 that the
Iranian response two days earlier to an international proposal meant
to resolve the controversy over its nuclear program should eliminate
the other side’s concerns and also protect Iran’s
self-perceived right to use nuclear energy, IRNA reported. Larijani
said Iran is amenable to the resumption of negotiations and
anticipates the views of its interlocutors.
Official details on the Iranian response have not been made
available yet, but Larijani said, "Iran’s response partly deals
with the favorite topic of the 5+1 group [China, France, Russia, the
United Kingdom, the United States, plus Germany], namely the security
arrangements of the region." He added, "Given the present sensitive
conditions of the region, Iran is prepared to assist promote
sustainable peace in the region."
When Tehran submitted its official reaction on August 22, it
expressed a readiness for "serious talks," even though it refuses to
meet one of the prerequisites for talks, namely, stopping enrichment.
This has yielded various reactions in different capitals.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on August
23 in Paris that Iran must cease the enrichment of uranium if it
wants to resume the nuclear negotiation process, LCI Television
reported. Douste-Blazy said, "I want to reiterate France’s
readiness to negotiate, but I repeat, as we’ve said before and as
Mr. Larijani knows full well, that a return to the negotiating table
is tied to the suspension of uranium-enrichment activities."
The White House made clear on August 23 that it is
underwhelmed by the Iranian response to the international nuclear
proposal, RFE/RL reported. "The response," White House spokeswoman
Dana Perino said, "falls short of the conditions set by the Security
Council which require the full and verifiable suspension of all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities." Perino said the
White House will consider the Iranian response, nevertheless, and it
is "closely consulting with the other members of the Security Council
on the next steps." Anonymous "U.S. and European officials" said the
Iranian response does not fulfill UN Security Council Resolution 1696
— which calls for a cessation of uranium enrichment and reprocessing
activities — either, "The Wall Street Journal" reported on August
23. Their countries are deciding if they should push for sanctions
against Iran.
An anonymous Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on
August 23, "China has always believed that seeking a peaceful
resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic talks is
the best choice [to solve the issue] and in the interests of all
parties concerned," Xinhua reported. In Tehran on August 23, Foreign
Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said his country’s response
to the international proposal contains "very positive and transparent
signs," IRNA reported.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in
Moscow on August 23 that the Iranian response to the international
proposal deserves careful attention, according to the ministry’s
website (). He referred to
possible "nuances" and "constructive elements."
Also on August 23, a delegation of Iranian officials arrived
in order to inspect Russian nuclear facilities, RFE/RL and "The
Moscow Times" reported. The delegation includes Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran official Mahmud Jannatian, and it is expected to
visit the Kalininskaya nuclear power plant, located in the city of
Udomlia between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The power plant utilizes
the VVER-1000 reactor, which is the model installed at Bushehr in
southwestern Iran. Among the topics of discussion will be personnel
training and nuclear-fuel deliveries. The Iranians are expected to
visit Kalininskaya for two days and then go to another reactor
outside Moscow, RFE/RL reported. (Bill Samii)
IRAN MARKS RELIGIOUS DAY. Iran’s official Islamic Republic News
Agency (IRNA) congratulated the Iranian people on August 22, the day
of Mab’ath, which is the anniversary of the day that the Prophet
Muhammad had the first of his revelations. Some Iranians mark the
holiday by gathering in mosques and other holy places. August 22 also
coincides with Mi’raj, the day when the Prophet ascended to
heaven on a winged horse named Buraq.
Princeton University scholar Bernard Lewis noted the
religious significance of August 22 in an editorial in "The Wall
Street Journal" on August 8 in which he also noted it was the date by
which President Mahmud Ahmadinejad promised a response to the nuclear
proposal submitted to Iran by the international community. "This
might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending
of Israel and if necessary of the world," Lewis wrote. He added a
cautionary note, however, saying, "It is far from certain that Mr.
Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22."
(Bill Samii)
SUPREME LEADER’S ADVISER DISCOURAGES NUCLEAR CONCESSIONS. Former
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who now serves as Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei’s foreign policy adviser, said on August 22 that
Iran’s nuclear accomplishments are more important than the
adverse publicity they have garnered, the Iranian Students News
Agency (ISNA) reported. He therefore dismissed the international
pressure Iran faces, and he added that this is inevitable, saying,
"You can be sure that whatever we try to do in the sphere of advance
technology will be confronted by influential states in the world."
Iran should disregard international pressure, he said, adding that
the nuclear issue is not open to "international debate." (Bill Samii)
IRAN TESTS MISSILES DURING WAR GAMES. The Zarbat-i Zolfaqar war games
began on August 19 in Iran and are scheduled to take place in 16
provinces in the south, southwest, and west, RFE/RL and other news
agencies reported. The exercises could last up to five weeks,
Military Chief of Staff Brigadier General Musavi told state
television on August 17.
General Alireza Afshar, deputy commander for cultural affairs
and defense propaganda at the general headquarters of the armed
forces, said on August 17 that "the reason for conducting these war
games is to deter the enemy from daring to threaten or put pressure
on the Islamic Republic of Iran," Fars News Agency reported.
On August 20, spokesman Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari
told IRNA that the 250-kilometer-range Saqeh surface-to-surface
missile was tested successfully.
Brigadier General Mohammad Hussein Dadras, commander of the
regular ground forces, said in Zahedan on August 21 that the war
games are going well, IRNA reported. Ground forces are engaging
airplanes and helicopters, and unmanned aircraft have been used for
this as well. Speaking in Sistan va Baluchistan Province, Dadras said
other stages of the exercises will take place sequentially in 15
other provinces. Dadras went on to say that the Iranian military can
assess the strengths and weaknesses of its opponents, and it can
counter attacks with a variety of missiles. Turning to the nuclear
issue and the possibility of sanctions, Dadras said Iran owes its
current capabilities to the earlier imposition of sanctions. (Bill
Samii)
U.S. INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN FOUND LACKING. There are "significant gaps
in our knowledge and understanding of the various areas of concern
about Iran," according to an August 23 report from the U.S. House of
Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
( PDFS/IranReport082206v2.pdf).
Among the areas of interest, the report mentions Iran’s nuclear
weapons program, the question of chemical and biological weapons, and
the ballistic-missile threat. The report also considers Iranian
destabilization of Iraq and support for terrorism outside Iraq. The
report recommends improving analysis, improving coordination on
Iran-specific issues, and improving coordination on
counterproliferation issues. It calls for enhanced human intelligence
capabilities and augmented linguistic capabilities ("More staff who
speak Farsi at a native or professionally proficient level"). Other
recommendations are stronger counterintelligence efforts, the
definition of goals, and the development of metrics. (Bill Samii)
IRAN SEIZES ROMANIAN OIL RIG IN PERSIAN GULF. An Iranian naval vessel
opened fire on an offshore drilling rig belonging to the Romanian Oil
Services Group (Grup Servicii Petroliere; GSP), on August 22 and
arrested the crew, Rompres reported. The crew comprised 19 or 20
Romanian oil workers and seven Indian catering staff.
GSP press officer Radu Petrescu said the seizure relates to a
dispute over payment of fees. "For almost two years now we have been
operating with two oil rigs in the Persian Gulf for the Iranian oil
company, but in the last six months, our beneficiary defaulted on his
contractual clauses, specifically he failed to issue a new bank
letter of credit for the current year," Petrescu said. The attack
came after the Romanians terminated the contract. Petrescu added that
a second rig, "Fortuna," was towed to Sharjah safely a few days ago.
Petrescu said later that Iranian soldiers and police were
aboard the rig, as were representatives of the firms with which there
is a dispute — Oriental Oil and PetroIran.
Still later the same day, Iran’s ambassador to Bucharest,
Ali Akbar Farazi, was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry and
told that the use of force to resolve a commercial dispute is
unacceptable, Rompres reported. Farazi said he has not succeeded in
obtaining information from Iran because of the national holiday.
Romanian presidential adviser Sergiu Medar said, "This is a
trade litigation, to which Iran has responded too toughly,"
Bucharest’s "Gandul" newspaper reported on August 23. GSP
Chairman Gabriel Comanescu said his firm will sue PetroIran,
"Evenimentuel Zilei" reported on August 23.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said on
August 23 that the affair has not been reported accurately, IRNA
reported. He said the Romanian company illegally removed some
drilling equipment, and the police foiled its plan to conduct "its
second robbery."
An editorial in Bucharest’s "Ziua" daily on August 23
referred to "the first large-scale act of terrorism against our
country."
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Romanian counterpart,
Traian Basescu, held a telephone conversation on August 23 in which
they discussed the incident, state television and IRNA reported on
August 24. The two officials reportedly agreed that occasonal
misunderstandings of this sort are inevitable, and they also concured
that the incident will not harm the two countries’ relations.
Ahmadinejad reportedly assured his coutnerpart that this is merely a
commercial misunderstanding and is not an act of hostility against
Romania, Rompres reported.
According to Iranian television, GSP wanted to lease the oil
rig at rate that surpassed the existing contract, whereas PetroIran
claimed the three-year lease obviates a price hike. (Bill Samii)
HIZBALLAH ENVOY IN IRAN SAYS GROUP WON’T LEAVE SOUTH OR DISARM.
Speaking in Tehran on August 20, Lebanese Hizballah envoy Seyyed
Abdallah Safi-al-Din said his organization will disarm only when the
Lebanese government can guarantee that Israel will never attack
Lebanon again, Mehr News Agency reported. "But, so far no such
guarantees have been given," he added. Several UN Security Council
resolutions call for the disarmament of all Lebanese militias.
Safi-al-Din said the most recent UN resolution — 1701 — is
"unjust." The resolution also requires that only the Lebanese Army
and UN peacekeepers should be in southern Lebanon, but the Hizballah
envoy dismissed this, saying, "The deployment of the Lebanese army in
the south of the country will not prevent the presence of Hizballah
in the south."
Safi-al-Din went on to mention the objective of destroying
Israel and said, "The Zionist regime is not a legitimate regime; its
government did not come into being in normal ways." He said the
justification for Israel’s existence is its service as
America’s regional policeman, but its existence is no longer
justified because Israel was defeated in its conflict with Hizballah.
Lebanese Tourism Minister Joseph Sarkis, a member of the
Christian Lebanese Forces, believes Iran is discouraging Hizballah
from disarming, Argentina’s "La Nacion" newspaper reported on
August 22. Sarkis said Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah
should return his arsenal to Iran or make it part of the Lebanese
army. Sarkis said the Lebanese people oppose war — "Only Hizballah
wants it, and that is because Iran wants it." He added, "[Hizballah]
destroyed the country with its war and now, with money from Iran, is
replacing the government and the State."
Sheikh Nabil Qawuq, the Hizballah official in charge of the
Southern Lebanon region, thanked Iran on August 18 for "supporting
Lebanon’s right to resist," Al-Manar television reported.
Speaking at a funeral for two Hizballah combatants and 27 civilians
in the village of Qana, he added, "We are proud that Iran stands by
the Lebanese people who are defending their land."
The same day in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Assefi said, "The Iranian government’s cooperation with the
Lebanese government and that country’s resistance movement is
quite transparent and in accordance with the international norms and
relations among governments," IRNA reported. Assefi said Iranian
support for Hizballah is "merely of humanitarian, spiritual, and
political nature, and that movement is needless of other types of
assistance." (Bill Samii)
PARLIAMENT PASSES ANTICORRUPTION LEGISLATION. Legislation passed on
August 23 requires all state officials — including legislators,
managing directors, and judicial officials, as well as members of the
cabinet, Guardians Council, Expediency Council, and Assembly of
Experts — to submit annual financial statements to the State
Inspectorate, Radio Farda reported. Noted Iranian human rights
activist and lawyer Mehrangiz Kar told Radio Farda the measure seems
superficial, because the judiciary already has the authority to
prosecute corruption cases. She added that it is a sign of how bad
official corruption has become in the country. (Bill Samii)
IRAN SEEKS INVOLVEMENT IN NORWEGIAN ENERGY SECTOR. Iranian Deputy
Petroleum Minister Hadi Nejad-Husseinian met in Stavanger on August
21 with Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Odd Roger Enoksen to
discuss the possibility of Iranian involvement in Norway’s oil
and gas sector, IRNA reported. Enoksen reportedly expressed a similar
interest in the Iranian energy sector. Norwegian firms such as Norsk
Hydro and Statoil are already developing Iran’s oil and gas
fields, while Norwegian energy-services firms are heavily involved
there, too. Helge Lund, Statoil’s chief executive officer, said
on August 21 that the South Pars gas field is his firm’s main
interest in Iran, Dow Jones Newswire reported. (Bill Samii)
GASOLINE IMPORTS REACH IRAN. The National Iranian Oil Company’s
managing director, Gholam Hussein Nozari, said on August 22 that a
$2.5 billion shipment of gasoline has reached Iran and this should be
enough for five months, Mehr News Agency reported. The Iranian
government recently decided against the imposition of gasoline
rationing despite heavy subsidies to keep gasoline prices low. (Bill
Samii)
HUNDREDS OF ISFAHAN TEXTILE WORKERS CLAIM BACK WAGES. Ebrahim
Fathian, who represents Isfahan Province workers, said on August 23
that 300 employees of the Rahimzadeh textile factory in Isfahan are
owed six months wages and benefits and 500 workers at the Simin-i No
textile factory in Isfahan have not been paid or received benefits
since March 21, the Iranian labor News Agency (ILNA) reported.
Fathian said the Rahimzadeh textile factory has not been able to pay
wages, buy raw materials, and resume production, because it has not
received the 15 million rial ($1,700) credit it was promised —
presumably by the central government. Fathian attributed the
situation to privatization and a downturn in the textile business.
(Bill Samii)
JAILED WRITER’S CONFESSION HAS A FAMILIAR RING TO IT. Iranian
officials say prominent writer and philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo has
confessed to pursuing nonviolent revolution in the country.
Colleagues and human rights activists had expressed concern when
Jahanbegloo was arrested in late April that he might be coerced into
a confession. Their fears were realized on August 17, when Iran’s
prosecutor-general was quoted as saying Jahanbegloo admitted to
plotting a "velvet revolution" and apologized for his "mistakes."
This method has been used in the past by the Islamic republic in
order to discredit its critics.
Harvard- and Sorbonnes-educated Ramin Jahanbegloo is the most
prominent intellectual to have been arrested in Iran in the past
year.
A researcher on Iran for the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW),
Hadi Ghaemi, tells RFE/RL that the country’s judiciary is trying
to silence critics by charging Jahanbegloo with plotting against the
establishment: "The goal is to create fear among activists and
intellectuals in Iran so that they know that even someone like
Jahanbegloo — who was not involved in political issues — can be
charged with instigating a velvet revolution. They want others to be
careful."
For many, Jahanbegloo’s detention and his "confessions"
in custody are reminders of a familiar pattern in the Islamic
republic’s clampdown on critics. Activists, journalists, and
intellectuals are jailed and denied access to lawyers or family
members.
Within a few weeks or months, they issue purported letters of
confession or appear on state television to confess and repent. Their
crimes often include attempting to overthrow the Islamic
establishment and maintaining ties with unspecified "enemies" of
Iran.
But many observers have questioned their authenticity. And
right advocates have rejected them as a farce.
Iranian activists have also come forward to expose the nature
of such "confessions," drawing on their own experiences. They have
said that they were forced to make false confessions under extreme
duress.
Political prisoners have also claimed they were pressed into
writing letters incriminating themselves or confessing to charges as
dictated by their interrogators.
One case included several online journalists who were
arrested in 2004.
Weeks later, they appeared on television to say they had been
encouraged by foreign enemies to tarnish Iran’s image.
Five days later, in a meeting with government officials, they
retracted their confessions. They said they had been made were under
physical and psychological pressure.
Journalist and blogger Omid Memarian was among those who
withdrew their confessions. He tells RFE/RL that confessions by
prisoners under duress, and who are denied contact with the outside
world, are worthless: "Especially for intellectuals like journalists
and professors, prison is very destructive — their statements [under
custody] have no weight. They would say anything in order to free
themselves from the conditions they are facing. In solitary
confinement, individuals reach a point where they believe things can
never be normal again, so they repeat whatever the interrogators say.
I think that until Jahanbegloo is freed in a normal situation,
whatever he says has no legal value."
News of Jahanbegloo’s "confessions" was first reported by
hard-line publications, including the newspaper "Resalat."
That daily suggested in late July that a tape of the
confessions was being shown in what it described as "cultural
circles."
"Resalat" claimed Jahanbegloo said he was in contact with
individuals in Canada and that he was on a mission to participate in
a Czechoslovak-style "velvet revolution" in Iran.
Weeks later, Prosecutor-General Qorbanali Dori-Najafabadi
announced in mid-August that Jahanbegloo had acknowledged his
involvement in a revolutionary plot.
Some have speculated that Jahanbegloo’s confessions might
be shown on television.
A spokesman for Iran’s hard-line judiciary, Jamal
Karimirad, recently suggested as much to journalists.
Prosecutor-General Dori-Najafabadi then claimed that
Jahanbegloo had agreed to the broadcasting of his confessions. He
added cryptically that "whether they are [actually] broadcast or not
is another matter."
Journalist and former prisoner Memarian insists Iranian
officials are testing the waters: "As in past years, news of the
confessions is first spread through certain circles; then they check
with society to gauge reactions. Then, based on those reactions and a
calculation of its pros and cons, they broadcast it. It’s the
same now. It seems that officials who are behind [Jahanbegloo’s
confessions] have not learned their lesson. The topic of coerced
confessions has really lost its effect, and people don’t believe
it. I think it actually harms the judiciary."
Human Rights Watch’s Ghaemi says he thinks broadcasting
the confessions will further damage Iran and its credibility on human
rights issues: "I think there are individuals inside the Iranian
[establishment] who know that these confessions do not solve any
problem. In fact, it has been proven that they are not credible and
have no validity. So maybe those who think about it logically know
that no one will be convinced — it will only damage the human rights
situation in Iran and the way [Iran] is viewed abroad."
Jahanbegloo’s arrest has been condemned by human rights
groups, who have called for his release.
The European Union and Canada have expressed concern over his
fate.
Activists in Iran, the United States, Britain, and several
other countries held a three-day hunger strike in July to call for
the immediate release of Jahanbegloo and all of Iran’s political
prisoners.
Jahanbegloo is a noted scholar who has published books in
several languages on issues that include modernity in Iran, and
Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings on
nonviolent resistance. He also has interviewed international figures,
including the Dalai Lama. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
************************************* ********************
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