امير مصدق كاتوزيان، مصاحبه با مهران ميرعبدالباقي
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSaturday, March 23, 2002 - Activist Student Free After 32 Months in Jail - Iran Benefits from Oil Market Upturn - No Date Yet for the Meeting on Caspian Sea Legal Regime - Year in Review: Foreign Policy - Convict in France Refused to Appear in His Appeal Court Activist Student Free After 32 Months in Jail * According to student activist Mehran Abdolbaghi who was unexpectedly freed last week after 32 months in jail, various types of torture were practiced in Tehran's Evin prison, including hanging victims upside down, confinement to filthy bathrooms, and beatings. Abdolbaghi, who was arrested in connection with the 1998 student disturbances, tells RFE/RL that he shared a cell block with other student activists, including the Mohammadi brothers, Ahmad Batebi, Mohsen Lohrasbi and Mohammad Hussein Yekta. Abdolbaqi was a supporter of the liberal nationalist "Iranian Nation Party" (Hezb-e Mellat-Iran), whose leaders Dariush and Parvaneh Foruhar were victims of political assassination. In his interview with RFE/RL, Abdolbaghi says the Khatami's reform movement has failed to provide free press, economic growth and a cohesive foreign policy. (Amir Mosaddeq Katouzian) Iran Benefits from Oil Market Upturn * The upturn in crude prices is a New Year gift to Iran, which has to earn more than $12 billion in oil revenues to realize budget estimates for income from oil. (Fereydoun Khavand) No Date Yet for the Meeting on Caspian Sea Legal Regime * Moscow asserts that a summit meeting to discuss the Caspian Sea legal regime will take place on 23-24 April; however Azerbaijan's foreign minister says no date has been set for the summit planned to be held in Turkmenistan. (Baktash Khamsehpour) Year in Review: Foreign Policy Two commentators, Dr. Changiz Pahlavan and Dr. Firuz Mojtahedzadeh, review Iranian foreign policy during the past year. * Islamic Republic's foreign policy has been "experimental, reactive and erratic," according to Pahlavan, who adds that Iran could not find allies for itself in the region. The tension in the US-Iran relations, cherished by some within the government, has produced the opposite of its intended goal, which was to end US presence in the region. Now the US has military presence or good relations with all areas surrounding Iran, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, Kuwait, northern Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan. In the neighboring region, Iran has cooperative relations only with Armenia. * After September 11, Dr. Mojtahedzadeh says, Iran did not take advantage of the opportunity to mend its relations with the US on favorable terms. (Shireen Famili) Convict in France Refused to Appear in His Appeal Court * Ahmad Jeyhuni, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison in France as accessory to the assassination of Reza Mazluman, an opposition leader, refused to appear in the appeals court convened at his request. In the aftermath of September 11, he feared the French court might have increased his sentence in the appeal. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) Chance of Survival for a New Reform Newspaper in Iran * The reformist daily "Bonyan," the latest in the series of newspapers launched by Hamid Reza Jalalipour, has not been shut down by the authorities after 26 issues, which is a good sign, according to London's Guardian. Printing 150,00 copies a day, Bonyan has become the paper of choice for Iranian intelligentsia. (Alireza Taheri) A Trip to Zanzibar * In this five-part documentary, RFE/RL's Ali Attar goes to Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania, to investigate the roots and customs of the descendants of Iranian immigrants there who call themselves Shirazi and celebrate the Iranian New Year. (Ali Attar) WORLD * US envoy Zinni works on a cease fire in the Middle East. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * In his Independence Day message, Pakistan's Musharraf vows to purge security forces of Taliban sympathizers. (Siavash Ardalan) * Schools open for millions of boys and girls in Afghanistan; women resume teaching after six years. Ms. Yaha Farzi, a teacher who ran a clandestine school for girls during the Taliban rule, tells RFE/RL that the opening of the schools would prevent spreading of violence. (Golnaz Esfandiari) * One million demonstrate against the new labor law in Rome. (Ahmad Ra'fat) * Sadreddin Sadr, son of the prominent Lebanese Shiite clergyman, Imam Musa Sadr, who disappeared in a trip to Libya 20 years ago, tells the Egyptian weekly, al Ahram-ol-Arabi that he believes his father is alive and he has dreamed that President Khatami will help his father gain freedom. Khatami is married to Imam Sadr's niece. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * Leipzig book fair attracts 67,000. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * A review of Academy Awards nominees. (Alireza Taheri) ARTS AND IDEAS New York Magazine * For the first time in the US, a leading avant-garde Tehran-based photographer Sadeq Tirafkan exhibits his photo collages and photo concepts in New York. Ms. Homa Taraji, a promoter of modern Persian art in Los Angeles reviews his work during an interview with RFE/RL. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) * Having been raised in the US, young Iranians gathered at a big New Year party at New York University tell RFE/RL that they became more conscious of their Persian identity when they went to college and met other US-born Iranians. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Weekly medical news and commentary (Dr. Mansour Moslehi, Los Angeles)
مهران عبدالباقي، دانشجوي فعال سياسي كه پس از دوسال و هشت ماه زندان، سرانجام پيش از فرارسيدن سال نو از زندان اوين آزاد شد، در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد پس از 5 ماه در زندان انفرادي در بازداشتگاه "توحيد" و قرار گرفتن تحت شكنجه، در دادگاه انقلاب به 9 سال حبس محكوم شد و از آنجا به زندان اوين انتقال يافت و حبس او به 5 سال كاهش يافت. عبدالباقي مي گويد انواع شكنجه در زندان مورد بررسي سه فرستاده دفتر رهبر جمهوري اسلامي قرار گرفت. وي مي گويد در زندان با دانشجويان بازداشت شده ديگر، از جمله با احمدباطبي، برادران محمدي، مهرداد لهراسبي، و محمد حسين يكتا هم بند بود. عبدالباقي مي گويد به طورغيرمترقبه به او اطلاع داده شد كه از زندان آزاد شده است. عبدالباقي در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد جنبش اصلاحات پس از 5 سال نتوانسته است در تامين آزادي مطبوعات، ايجاد رونق اقتصادي و ايجاد انسجام در سياست خارجي ايران كاري انجام دهد. وي مي افزايد مخالفان قانوني هم ضمانتي ندارند كه با آنها برخورد غيرقانوني نشود. عبدالباقي مي گويد راه پروانه وداريوش فروهر، رهبران حزب ملت ايران را كه برقراري مردمسالاري درايران است، همچنان ادامه مي دهد.
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSaturday, March 23, 2002 - Activist Student Free After 32 Months in Jail - Iran Benefits from Oil Market Upturn - No Date Yet for the Meeting on Caspian Sea Legal Regime - Year in Review: Foreign Policy - Convict in France Refused to Appear in His Appeal Court Activist Student Free After 32 Months in Jail * According to student activist Mehran Abdolbaghi who was unexpectedly freed last week after 32 months in jail, various types of torture were practiced in Tehran's Evin prison, including hanging victims upside down, confinement to filthy bathrooms, and beatings. Abdolbaghi, who was arrested in connection with the 1998 student disturbances, tells RFE/RL that he shared a cell block with other student activists, including the Mohammadi brothers, Ahmad Batebi, Mohsen Lohrasbi and Mohammad Hussein Yekta. Abdolbaqi was a supporter of the liberal nationalist "Iranian Nation Party" (Hezb-e Mellat-Iran), whose leaders Dariush and Parvaneh Foruhar were victims of political assassination. In his interview with RFE/RL, Abdolbaghi says the Khatami's reform movement has failed to provide free press, economic growth and a cohesive foreign policy. (Amir Mosaddeq Katouzian) Iran Benefits from Oil Market Upturn * The upturn in crude prices is a New Year gift to Iran, which has to earn more than $12 billion in oil revenues to realize budget estimates for income from oil. (Fereydoun Khavand) No Date Yet for the Meeting on Caspian Sea Legal Regime * Moscow asserts that a summit meeting to discuss the Caspian Sea legal regime will take place on 23-24 April; however Azerbaijan's foreign minister says no date has been set for the summit planned to be held in Turkmenistan. (Baktash Khamsehpour) Year in Review: Foreign Policy Two commentators, Dr. Changiz Pahlavan and Dr. Firuz Mojtahedzadeh, review Iranian foreign policy during the past year. * Islamic Republic's foreign policy has been "experimental, reactive and erratic," according to Pahlavan, who adds that Iran could not find allies for itself in the region. The tension in the US-Iran relations, cherished by some within the government, has produced the opposite of its intended goal, which was to end US presence in the region. Now the US has military presence or good relations with all areas surrounding Iran, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, Kuwait, northern Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan. In the neighboring region, Iran has cooperative relations only with Armenia. * After September 11, Dr. Mojtahedzadeh says, Iran did not take advantage of the opportunity to mend its relations with the US on favorable terms. (Shireen Famili) Convict in France Refused to Appear in His Appeal Court * Ahmad Jeyhuni, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison in France as accessory to the assassination of Reza Mazluman, an opposition leader, refused to appear in the appeals court convened at his request. In the aftermath of September 11, he feared the French court might have increased his sentence in the appeal. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) Chance of Survival for a New Reform Newspaper in Iran * The reformist daily "Bonyan," the latest in the series of newspapers launched by Hamid Reza Jalalipour, has not been shut down by the authorities after 26 issues, which is a good sign, according to London's Guardian. Printing 150,00 copies a day, Bonyan has become the paper of choice for Iranian intelligentsia. (Alireza Taheri) A Trip to Zanzibar * In this five-part documentary, RFE/RL's Ali Attar goes to Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania, to investigate the roots and customs of the descendants of Iranian immigrants there who call themselves Shirazi and celebrate the Iranian New Year. (Ali Attar) WORLD * US envoy Zinni works on a cease fire in the Middle East. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * In his Independence Day message, Pakistan's Musharraf vows to purge security forces of Taliban sympathizers. (Siavash Ardalan) * Schools open for millions of boys and girls in Afghanistan; women resume teaching after six years. Ms. Yaha Farzi, a teacher who ran a clandestine school for girls during the Taliban rule, tells RFE/RL that the opening of the schools would prevent spreading of violence. (Golnaz Esfandiari) * One million demonstrate against the new labor law in Rome. (Ahmad Ra'fat) * Sadreddin Sadr, son of the prominent Lebanese Shiite clergyman, Imam Musa Sadr, who disappeared in a trip to Libya 20 years ago, tells the Egyptian weekly, al Ahram-ol-Arabi that he believes his father is alive and he has dreamed that President Khatami will help his father gain freedom. Khatami is married to Imam Sadr's niece. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * Leipzig book fair attracts 67,000. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * A review of Academy Awards nominees. (Alireza Taheri) ARTS AND IDEAS New York Magazine * For the first time in the US, a leading avant-garde Tehran-based photographer Sadeq Tirafkan exhibits his photo collages and photo concepts in New York. Ms. Homa Taraji, a promoter of modern Persian art in Los Angeles reviews his work during an interview with RFE/RL. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) * Having been raised in the US, young Iranians gathered at a big New Year party at New York University tell RFE/RL that they became more conscious of their Persian identity when they went to college and met other US-born Iranians. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Weekly medical news and commentary (Dr. Mansour Moslehi, Los Angeles)
مهران عبدالباقي، دانشجوي فعال سياسي كه پس از دوسال و هشت ماه زندان، سرانجام پيش از فرارسيدن سال نو از زندان اوين آزاد شد، در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد پس از 5 ماه در زندان انفرادي در بازداشتگاه "توحيد" و قرار گرفتن تحت شكنجه، در دادگاه انقلاب به 9 سال حبس محكوم شد و از آنجا به زندان اوين انتقال يافت و حبس او به 5 سال كاهش يافت. عبدالباقي مي گويد انواع شكنجه در زندان مورد بررسي سه فرستاده دفتر رهبر جمهوري اسلامي قرار گرفت. وي مي گويد در زندان با دانشجويان بازداشت شده ديگر، از جمله با احمدباطبي، برادران محمدي، مهرداد لهراسبي، و محمد حسين يكتا هم بند بود. عبدالباقي مي گويد به طورغيرمترقبه به او اطلاع داده شد كه از زندان آزاد شده است. عبدالباقي در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد جنبش اصلاحات پس از 5 سال نتوانسته است در تامين آزادي مطبوعات، ايجاد رونق اقتصادي و ايجاد انسجام در سياست خارجي ايران كاري انجام دهد. وي مي افزايد مخالفان قانوني هم ضمانتي ندارند كه با آنها برخورد غيرقانوني نشود. عبدالباقي مي گويد راه پروانه وداريوش فروهر، رهبران حزب ملت ايران را كه برقراري مردمسالاري درايران است، همچنان ادامه مي دهد.
