Summary of Iran Stories in Today&apos;s BroadcastsBehnam NateghiSunday, November 23, 2003 <b>US Envoy Blasts Use of “No Evidence” in IAEA&apos;s Report on Iran&apos;s Nuclear Violations</b> • The US envoy to the IAEA Kenneth Brill launched an unprecedented criticism of the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday, suggesting he minimized 18 years of Iran&apos;s deception that included enriching uranium and processing plutonium. “Questionable,” Brill said of a section in ElBaradei&apos;s report that says the agency found “no evidence” of an Iranian nuclear program. “Iran systematically and deliberately deceived the IAEA and the international community about these issues for year after year after year,” Brill said. The purpose, he said, was “the pursuit of nuclear weapons.” “Disingenuous,” ElBaradei responded; a former lawyer, he defended the use of the term “evidence,” which Brill said should have been “proof.” “Frankly, I find it disingenuous that this word ‘evidence&apos; has suddenly become a matter of disbelief,” ElBaradei told board members, in comments made available to reporters. Quoting a law dictionary, ElBaradei maintained that the two words were interchangeable. (Shahran Tabari, London) • Iran&apos;s secrecy will certainly be condemned in the IAEA&apos;s resolution, IAEA&apos;s spokesman <b>Melissa Fleming</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. However, ElBaradei says we have not yet found any evidence to confirm that nuclear material found in Iran has been used for making nuclear weapons, she adds. Our job is to objectively review evidence and documents we find, she says. (Shahran Tabari, London) • Scott Ritter, a former member of the UN arms inspection team in Iraq, criticized the US for pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn Iran for violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The ultimate goal of the US is to change Iran&apos;s regime. (Siavash Ardalan) • Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said Iran isolated the US at the IAEA&apos;s board meeting. (Mina Baharmast) <b>Daughter of Murdered Nationalist Party Leaders Calls for “Fair Investigation”</b> • On the fifth anniversary of their murder, Parastu Forouhar, daughter of nationalist party leaders Parvaneh and Dariush Forouhar, called for a “fair investigation” of the killings, in a ceremony this afternoon at Tehran&apos;s Ershad Islamic center. The judiciary tried, behind closed doors, four agents who confessed to the murders of Forouhars and other dissidents, including writers Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad-Javad Pooyandeh, but those who ordered these and other assassinations were never identified or put on trial, Parastu Forouhar said. Instead, the journalists who wrote about the murders and the lawyers, such as Naser Zarafshan, who represented the victims&apos; kin, were thrown in jail, Forouhar added in today&apos;s ceremony, which began with a speech by dissident cleric Mohsen Kadivar, head of the society for defense of press freedom. Respect for human rights is the number one demand of the Iranian people, Kadivar said. At the end of the ceremony, when participants began chanting the nationalistist song “O&apos; Iran,” the sound of Qoran recitation blaring out of the Ershad center&apos;s loudspeakers drowned their voices. The march of a group of participants outside the center met crackdown by plainclothes security forces. Tehran-based independent journalist <b>Arash Qavidel</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that thousands attended the ceremony, three times&apos; the hall&apos;s capacity. But unlike past ceremonies, it went on without violent incidents. However, plainclothes security forces dispersed the crowds, who left the hall chanting “O&apos; Iran.” They used clubs and chains, and arrested several people, reported Kar news agency. (Baktaskh Khamsehpour, Bahman Bastani) • Political activists gathered last night in Paris in a ceremony to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the serial murders of political dissidents. Head of provisional council of Iranian socialists Majid Zarbakhsh said the Islamic Republic began killing and terror from the outset. Poet Nemat Azarm read a poem for murders&apos; victims Parvaneh and Dariush Forouhar. Writer Atefeh Gorgin read a poem by murders&apos; victim Mohammad Mokhtari. (Mir-Ali Hosseini, Paris) • The family of writer Parviz Davani, who is believed to have been a victim of the 1998 serial murders, have gotten no result from their contacts with the judiciary and officials about his case, his brother </b>Hossein Davani</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) <b>UN Committee Passes Resolution Condemning Iran&apos;s Human Rights Violations</b> • The human rights committee of the UN General Assembly passed on Friday a Canada-sponsored draft resolution condemning Iran&apos;s human rights violations. The resolution accused Iran of using torture and of systematic discrimination against woman and girls. It condemned Iranian legal processes and said political dissidents are persecuted and jailed arbitrarily. (Kian Manavi) • The resolution will bolster the position of moderates, who will be able to tell hard-liners that the world is watching them, Canada&apos;s foreign affairs minister Bill Graham said yesterday. The resolution would bring the murder in custody of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi to the world&apos;s attention, he added. “I&apos;m very pleased we got this resolution through,” he added, pointing out the Islamic government fought against the resolution “tooth and nail.” (Maryam Aghvami, Toronto) • Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi called the UN resolution interference in Iran&apos;s domestic affairs. (Mina Baharmast) <b>Tehran Cancels Italian Foreign Minister&apos;s Visit</b> • Since arranging for all meetings became impossible, today&apos;s Tehran visit by Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has been cancelled, announced foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi. Observers say Iranian officials cancelled the trip, because they were certain of EU&apos;s support for the Canada-supported draft resolution passed by the UN General Assembly&apos;s human rights committee on Iran. (Ahmad Ra&apos;fat, Rome) <b>Dissident Cleric&apos;s Kin to Complain to International Bodies on Building&apos;s Takeover</b> • The family of dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hosseinali Montazeri will complain to international bodies about the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp&apos;s illegal takeover of a building next door to Ayatollah&apos;s house. The building is a property of Montazeri&apos;s daughter-in-law Zahra Amlashi, her husband, <b>Ahmad Montazeri</b>, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. A letter by Ms. Amlashi, daughter of Grand Ayatollah Amlashi, criticizing the IRGC&apos;s action as un-Islamic and illegal did not get published in the domestic press, he adds. The special court for the clergy had wanted to purchase this building since four years ago, when Ayatollah Amlashi died, to use it for surveillance of Ayatollah Montazeri&apos;s office, he adds. The court has blocked the family&apos;s access to the building for the past four years, he says. [Sons and relatives of Ayatollah Montazeri were arrested last week and held for one day by the IRGC for entering the building.] (Nima Tamadon) <b>Islamic Court Summons Jailed Writer, Again</b> • The Tehran Islamic Revolutionary court summoned pro-reform writer Ahmad Zeydabadi, to stand trial for subversion. Zeydabadi was released from jail last month, after serving a 13-month sentence for publishing lies. Multiple trials and recurring prosecution appears to have become a judicial pattern. Zeydabadi will now be tried, along with eight others, for participation in a 2001 meeting at the house of nationalist-religious activist Mohammad Basteh-negar, Ahmad Zeydabadi&apos;s wife <b>Mahdieh Mohammadi</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. Fifteen members of the nationalist-religious coalition, who were arrested at that meeting, were tried last year for subversion, after spending more than one year in jail. In addition to the 23 people who were at the house, other friends of Zeydabadi had not been there on the night of the police raid, are also being summoned one by one, she adds. (Bahman Bastani) <b>Men Succeed in Committing Suicide Eight Times More than Women</b> • Women commit suicides twice as many as men, but men succeed in killing themselves eight times more than the women, according to Alam Olhodai, deputy director of the national welfare organization Sazeman-e Behzisti. Every day, an average of 11 people with the average age of 29 commit suicide in Iran, making one of each 100 death a suicide, he added. (Leyli Arman) <b>Planning Organization Criticizes Paying for Deficit by Debt</b> • Borrowing from the domestic banking system to pay for the budget deficit will reduce the value of the national currency and speed the flight of capital out of Iran, the management and planning organization said in a reported published today. The government has failed to utilize international money resources to increase investment in the country, and by adopting wrong fiscal policies, has chased out domestic capital. (Arash Qavidel, Tehran) <b>Human Rights Roundtable: Freedom of Religious Minorities</b> • Among Iran&apos;s human rights violations condemned in the recent UN General Assembly draft-resolution, which was approved on Friday by the UNGA&apos;s human rights committee, suppression of the rights of religious minorities is particularly more worrisome. In today&apos;s human rights roundtable, London-based activist <b>Hossein Baqerzadeh</b>, New Haven-based activist <b>Dr. Ramin Ahmadi</b> and California-based member of the Iranian committee for defense of religious minorities <b>Faryar Nikbakht</b> comment on the rights of religious minorities in Iran. (Ali Sajjadi) . بهمن باستاني (راديو فردا): مراسم يادبود قتلهاي قربانيان سياسي پاييز 77 امروز در حسينيه ارشاد تهران برگزار شد. در اين مراسم از جمله دكتر محسن كديور نويسنده و روزنامه نگار، دكتر معيني فر از وزيران دولت موقت جمهوري اسلامي و پرستو فروهر، دختر داريوش و پروانه فروهر سخنراني كردند. بكتاش خمسه پور(راديو فردا): مراسم سالگرد و يادبود قربانيان قتلهاي سياسي موسوم به زنجيره اي با سخنان محسن كديور، نويسنده و روزنامه نگار آغاز شد. محسن كديور با برشمردن آنچه طي سالهاي گذشته در ارتباط با پرونده موسوم به قتلهاي زنجيره اي گذشته است ، رعايت حقوق بشر را خواست نخست مردم ايران خواند. صداي محسن كديور: مساله حقوق بشر، رعايت حقوق بشر در ايران، خواست اول شهروندان ايراني است. ب.خ.: محسن كديور در ادامه گفت كه كانون نويسندگان ايران خواستار پيگيري پرونده قتلها و معرفي عاملان پنهان قتلها است و يادآور شد كه اين مراسم يادبود درحالي برگزار مي شود كه دكتر ناصر زرافشان، عضو كانون نويسندگان ايران و وكيل خانواده هاي قربانيان قتلها، دومين سال حبس خود را سپري مي كند. اين مراسم يادبود با سخنان تني چند از اعضاي حزب ملت ايران پيگري شد و در بخش پاياني پرستو فروهر، فرزند داريوش و پروانه فروهر، پيش از آغاز سخنانش با شور و استقبال حاضران و شعارهاي درود بر فروهر روبرو شد. پرستو فروهر با نگاهي به گذشته و يادآوري خاطرات خود از پدر و مادرش، كوششهاي آنان را براي تحقق آزادي برشمرد، به فشارها بر معترضيني اشاره كرد كه در برابر مساله به فرجام نرسيدن و مسكوت ماندن پرونده قتلهاي زنجيره اي موضع گرفتند و در اين ميان اشاره وي به دكتر ناصر زرافشان، با استقبال پرشور حاضران روبرو گشت. پرستو فروهر در پايان اين مراسم سخنان خود را اين چنين به پايان برد: صداي پرستو فروهر: ... که در راه آزادي ايران جان باختند. پيروز باد ملت. ب. ب.: در پايان اين مراسم جمعيت حاضر با شعارهايي عليه استبداد و براي آزادي زندانيان سياسي، قصد تجمع و شايد راهپيمايي داشتند كه با واكنش سريع امنيتي حكومت روبرو شدند. همان زمان، يعني ساعت 5/4 بعد از ظهر امروز، گفتگويي داشتيم با آرش قويدل، روزنامه نگار در تهران كه در اين مراسم حضور داشت. آرش قويدل: صداي من را از حسينيه ارشاد تهران مي شنويد، در همين ساعت برنامه بزرگداشت داريوش و پروانه فروهر به پايان رسيد و مردم در حال ترك كردن سالن هستند. مي شود گفت سالن حسينيه ارشاد اگر امروز سه برابر ظرفيت خودش را هم جا داشت، پر مي شد و واقعا جمعيت بسيار زيادي از اقشار مختلف مردم امروز در اين مراسم شركت داشتند و در وهله آخر مراسم بسيار زيادي بود و زماني كه خانم پرستو فروهر وارد برنامه شدند، همه حضار اين جلسه به احترام ايشان بلند شدند و دست زدند و شعار درود بر فروهر دادند و حمايت خودشان را از ايشان اعلام كردند. ب . ب.: آقاي قويدل بفرماييد كه حفاظت از سالن امروز چطور بوده و آيا اصولا برخوردي ، درگيري يا احيانا نشانه هايي از اين كه كساني بخواهند مثل سال قبل و سالهاي قبل حمله كنند به اين مراسم بود و يا اين كه نه مطلقا به چشم نمي خورد. آرش قويدل: شايد بشود گفت اين جلسه بزرگداشت، آرامترين جلسه اي بود كه برگزار شد، هيچگونه درگيري درون سالن شكل نگرفت و كليه نيروهاي امنيتي كه حفاظت بسيار كاملي را انجام دادند از اين مراسم، اما الان كه شما صداي من را مي شويد، برخي از مردم هستند كه هنگام خروج از سالن دارند شعار مي دهند، اما خوب از ساعتي كه من به اين برنامه آمدم، هيچگونه حضوري از آنچه نيروهاي خودسر يا خياباني مي گويند، كسي را اينجا نديدم تا اين لحظه. الان يك جمعي حدود 500 نفر در مقابل حسينيه ارشاد هستند، پلاكارد دستشان گرفتند و دارند شعار مي دهند. ب . ب : روي پلاكاردها چه نوشته و شعار چيست؟ آرش قويدل : عمدتا روي پلاكاردها شعار رفراندوم، رفراندوم، راه نجات مردم و مرگ بر استبداد نوشته شده. يك چيزي حدود 500 تا 600 نفر مردم هستند كه الان اينجا حضور دارند. يك دختري الان سرش را گرفته و مردم هم دورش جمع شدند، كمي الان جو متشنج شده. مردم در زمان خروج تجمع آرامي را داشتند، اما خوب سريعا با واكنش نيروهاي امنيتي مواجه شد و سريعا مردم را پراكنده كردند. ب. ب.: ساعتي پيش، يعني در فاصله گفتگوي ما با آرش قويدل، روزنامه نگاري كه در اين مراسم حضور داشت و اكنون، خبرگزاري كار ايران از تهران گزارشي مخابره كرده مبني بر اينكه شماري از شركت كنندگان در مراسم امروز با خواندن سرود اي ايران و سردادن شعار از حسينيه ارشاد به سمت سه راه ضرابخانه راهپيمايي مي كرند كه با حمله افراد لباس شخصي و عوامل سركوب خياباني روبرو شدند. بنابراين گزارش شماري از مردم مورد ضرب و شتم قرار گرفتند و مجروح شدند. مراسم سالگرد و يادبود قربانيان قتلهاي سياسي موسوم به زنجيره اي با سخنان محسن كديور، نويسنده و روزنامه نگار آغاز شد. محسن كديور با برشمردن آنچه طي سالهاي گذشته در ارتباط با پرونده موسوم به قتلهاي زنجيره اي گذشته است، رعايت حقوق بشر را خواست نخست مردم ايران خواند. اين مراسم يادبود با سخنان تني چند از اعضاي حزب ملت ايران پيگري شد و در بخش پاياني پرستو فروهر، فرزند داريوش و پروانه فروهر، پيش از آغاز سخنانش با شور و استقبال حاضران و شعارهاي درود بر فروهر روبرو شد. در پايان، شماري از شركت كنندگان با خواندن سرود اي ايران و سردادن شعار، از حسينيه ارشاد به سمت سه راه ضرابخانه راهپيمايي كرند كه با حمله افراد لباس شخصي و عوامل سركوب خياباني روبرو شدند. آرش قويدل، روزنامه نگار در تهران، در مصاحبه با راديوفردا مي گويد که جمعيت بسيار زيادي از اقشار مختلف مردم امروز در اين مراسم شركت داشتند و اين جلسه بزرگداشت، آرامترين جلسه اي بود كه برگزار شد و هيچگونه درگيري درون سالن شكل نگرفت.