Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiThursday, August 21, 2003
<b>Britain Arrests Former Iranian Ambassador to Buenos Aires on Terror Charges</b>
• Court sources in Britain confirmed the arrest today in Durham of former Iranian ambassador to Argentina Hadi Soliemanpour. Investigating judge Juan Jose Galeano issued warrants for the ambassador and seven other diplomats for their alleged participation in the July 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish cultural center that killed 85 people and injured 300 others. (Maryam Ahmadi)
<b>Judiciary Chief Says Supreme Cultural Revolution Council is Above the Law</b>
• Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi said the Majles should follow the decrees of the supreme cultural revolution council. MP Naser Qavami, head of the Majles judicial committee said no organ is above the law and only the Majles is constitutionally responsible for passing laws. Tehran-based lawyer <b>Mohammad-Hossein Aghasi</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that the supreme cultural revolution council was formed in the early years of the revolution as a temporary organ. He adds that the council's continued work and legal status are questionable. It is premature to ask the Majles to follow an organ that has no legal standing, he says. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian)
<b>US Commander Says Islamic Extremists Cross into Iraq from Iran, Syria</b>
• Appearing alongside US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in today's press briefing at the Pentagon, Commander of US Central Command General John Abizaid said there are indications that Saddam Hussein loyalists have begun cooperating with Islamic extremists who cross into Iraq from Iran and Syria. (Amir Armin)
<b>Arrested Students' Lawyer Refutes Their Charges</b>
• Nearly a week after they were released on bail, the judiciary announced that it will soon begin the trial of eight students arrested during last June's 10-day pro-democracy protests. Their lawyer <b>Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that charges of anti-regime activity against his clients are unconstitutional, since freedom of assembly is protected by the constitution. He adds that when they were in jail, his clients were denied their basic rights, such as access to lawyer, medical care and visitation with family members. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian)
<b>Tabrizi Journalist Files Charges against Plainclothes Police</b>
• Plainclothes security agents arrested and tortured Tabrizi independent journalist and managing editor of the weekly <i>Asan</i> Hasan Raghifar last Saturday. They left him by a bridge near the city's Vali Rahmat cemetery, according to Tabrizi journalist <b>Ensafali Hedayat</b>, himself a victim of arbitrary arrest and torture. He tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that Raghifar, who had been badly beaten, kept the incident from his family for a week, and did not publish his three-month old weekly. He adds that even though the local police and judiciary officials have agreed to investigate his case, Raghifar would not be able to identify the agents, since he could not see their faces. (Jamshid Zand)
<b>Guardians Council Cancels Health Ministry's Circular on Phlebotomy</b>
• The conservative Guardians Council said phlebotomy was an Islamic tradition, and cancelled the health ministry's circular against the practice. (Keyvan Hosseini)
<b>Majles Questions Women's Participation Office</b>
• The women's participation office submitted proposals to increase women's share in a variety of social and cultural activities. Paris-based sociologist and women's rights advocate <b>Azadeh Kian</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that the office has been on the right track, but it would take time for its proposals to turn into laws. (Mahmonir Rahimi)
<b>Latvia Siezes Iran-Bound Weapons</b>
• Latvia seized a cargo of military equipment, including night vision goggles and armored vehicle spare parts, disguised as farm products, in transit from Russia to Iran for possible terrorist use, police said Thursday. (Jamshid Zand)
<b> Kerman Earthquake Does Less Damage</b>
• A relatively strong earthquake shook Bam and Kerman this morning. However, local journalist <b>Mohammad-Sadeq Taheri</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that in recent years, earthquake cause less damage and casualties, due to better safety features in buildings. (Jamshid Zand)
<b>Cleric Seeks to Promote Islamic as Peaceful Religion</b>
• Iranian cleric Ayatollah Seyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad is in Washington with the blessing of his government to drum up support for an unprecedented international Islamic conference to promote Islam as a religion of peace, and not one that encourages Muslims to kill people of other faiths, writes Knight Ridder Newspapers' reporter Joyce Davis. (Leyli Arman)
<b>National Front Groups Mend Differences</b>
• National Front (Jebhe-ye Melli) activist <b>Kambiz Qaem-Maqam</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that the diverse groups loosely affiliated under the umbrella of the National Front will patch up their differences in a conference to be organized in Europe. He says since most Persian-language media in Los Angeles are controlled by monarchists, little was done to commemorate the anniversary of the 1953 coup that ousted anti-Shah prime minister Mosaddegh. (Firouzeh Khatibi, Los Angeles)
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اميرمصدق کاتوزيان (راديو فردا): به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه هادي سليمان پور، سفير پيشين جمهوري اسلامي ايران در آرژانتين، در ارتباط با پرونده بمب گذاري مرکز يهوديان در بوئنس آيرس در سال 1994، روز پنج شنبه در نزديکي لندن بازداشت شد. مريم احمدي نگاهي دارد به اين گزارش:
مريم احمدي (راديو فردا): بازداشت سفير پيشين ايران در آرژانتين در رابطه با بمب گذاري سال 1994 در مرکز فرهنگي يهوديان در در بوئنس آيرس است که بر اثر آن 85 نفر کشته و 300 نفر زخمي شدند. مارتا نسلاس وکيل فدراسيون انجمن هاي يهوديان آرژانتين، دستگيري هادي سليمان پور را مرحله مهمي از بررسي اين پرونده مي داند و معتقد است مي توان از اين طريق به چگونگي سازمان دهي بمب گزاري پي برد. به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه، منابع قضائي دستگيري آقاي سليمان پور را تاييد کرده اند. خوان خوزه گاليانو، قاضي تحقيق در پرونده بمب گذاري در مرکز فرهنگي يهوديان در بوئنس آيرس، حکم بازداشت آقاي سليمان پور و هفت ديپلمات ايراني ديگر را در ماه ژوئيه صادر کرده بود.
مقامات تهران اين حکم را فاقد اعتبار قانوني خوانده بودند. در ماه مارس نيز که دادگاه آرژانتين حکم بازداشت 4 ديپلمات ايراني را صادر کرده بود، روابط ايران و آرژانتين دچار تنش شد و تهران سفير و کارداران خود را از آرژانيتن فرا خواند. احکام صادر شده در ماه مارس، براي بازداشت علي فلاحيان (وزير وقت اطلاعات ايران)، محسن رباني (وابسته فرهنگي ايران)، و براتعلي بالش آبادي (مقام ارشد وزارت امور خارجه)، و نيز علي اکبر پرورش بود. در ماه ژوئيه، قاضي گاليانو حکم بازداشت آقاي سليمان پور، علي رضا اصغري، حسينعلي کبريزي، مسعود اميري، سيد يوسف عربي، احمد علم الهدي، محمود منزوي زاده، وسعيد باغبان را نيز صادر کرد. سفير پيشين ايران در آرژانتين در لندن دستگير شد. بازداشت وي رابطه با بمب گذاري سال 1994 مرکز فرهنگي يهوديان در بوئنس آيرس است که بر اثر آن 85 نفر کشته و 300 نفر زخمي شدند. وکيل فدراسيون انجمن هاي يهوديان آرژانتين، دستگيري هادي سليمان پور را مرحله مهمي از بررسي اين پرونده مي داند و معتقد است مي توان از اين طريق به چگونگي سازمان دهي بمب گزاري پي برد. خوان خوزه گاليانو، قاضي تحقيق در پرونده بمب گذاري در مرکز فرهنگي يهوديان در بوئنس آيرس، حکم بازداشت آقاي سليمان پور و هفت ديپلمات ايراني ديگر را در ماه ژوئيه صادر کرده بود. مقامات تهران اين حکم را فاقد اعتبار قانوني خوانده بودند.
