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Monthly Report: September 2007

01 September 2007 Gozaar

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Social Crackdown

According to the Khaleej Times, Iran has shown no signs of relaxing its crackdown on un-Islamic morality. Of the more than 100,000 women who have been given warnings for dress code violations, 1,600 cases have been passed on to the Judiciary. Authorities have also closed over 3,000 cafes, which they deemed “dens of Westernism.” Shops selling satellite television equipment have been targeted, with dozens shut down.

In response, a video has been spreading across the internet in Iran since August, speaking out against the crackdown and demanding that Iranian officials leave young people alone. The video is a series of clips compiled by an Iranian-American producer, but it also contains lyrics by a female Iranian rapper known only as Mahour. Rap and Western music in general is one of the many targets of the crackdown.

In a new development, Radio Free Europe reports that the police have begun cracking down on dog ownership, which is also considered un-Islamic behavior. Pet dogs have been held in “prisons,” with bail posted for their release.

Detainees

Haleh Esfandiari, detained in Iran since December, was released from prison on August 21 after her family paid a $300,000 bail, and she has now returned to Washington to resume her job at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Iran also returned the passport of broadcaster Parnaz Azima, enabling her to leave Iran as well. Officials inside the country say that a third detainee, Kian Tajbakhsh, will be released shortly. Although Esfandiari and Azima were released, the Iranian Judiciary has stated that trials will be held at an unspecified later date.

No news has surfaced regarding Ali Shakeri, a fourth Iranian-American to be held in Iran this year. Observers have speculated that the detention of the Iranian-Americans functioned as a warning to critics of the regime.

Teachers

Late August saw the dismissal of dozens of prominent professors from Iran’s universities for being too liberal or secular. According to Rooz, among those fired was Dr. Hossein Bashiriyeh, a political scientist whose theories underlie much of the beliefs of Iranian reformist politicians. He and other professors had all spent time outside Iran doing research. At the same time, the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology issued regulations requiring all Iranian academics to register their travel plans with the government security offices within each university before traveling.

A series of teachers’ protests were held in front of the Majles earlier in September, demanding a meeting with Parliament Speaker Gholam Hosein Haddad Adel. At the same time, the Iranian Teachers’ Union wrote to Ayatollah Shahroudi, head of the Judiciary, asking him to end the current harsh treatment of teachers by government officials.

Freedom of the Press

General Prosecutor for Tehran Said Mortazavi defied a court order to reinstate publishing rights from Ham Mihan newspaper. On August 20, the Tehran General Court ruled in favor of allowing the paper to resume printing after its publisher paid the fine that coincided with its suspension. Despite this, Mortazavi intervened and banned Ham Mihan again.

Executions

On August 19, 2007, The Guardian reported that over 30 executions for people accused of participating in American plots against the regime occurred in August. Many of the hangings were conducted publicly, and others were broadcast on state television. Executions had not been carried out in public between 2002 and this summer, marking a change in judicial policy coinciding with increased national security concerns throughout Iran.

Economy

Many Members of Parliament have also voiced their concerns about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s gasoline rationing plan, which received criticism from many economists from its launch this summer. Rooz reports that companies in the car service industry, such as car washes, garages, and repair shops, have been suffering greatly, and many employees have been laid off as a result. Problems are worse outside large cities, where public transportation is limited. As a consequence, many in the Majles are considering drafting a bill to defy the President’s decree by allowing unlimited gasoline access.

On a related note, Ali Reza Tahmasbi, harshly critical of the president’s economic policies, resigned as Iran’s Minister of Industry in mid-August.

Religious Freedom

On September 14, the United States Department of State released its International Religious Freedom Report 2007, with 13 pages devoted to Iran. The report noted the “continued deterioration of the extremely poor status of respect for religious freedom during the reporting period. Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi'a religious groups, most notably for Bahá'is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community.” Additionally, it notes that “all non-Shi'a religious minorities suffer varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, education, and housing.”

Iranian Politics

On September 4, ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, a body with regulatory power over the Supreme Leader. Rafsanjani is a fierce rival of President Ahmadinejad, and his new position may give him influence over the president’s reactionary, confrontational style. Rafsanjani is also at odds with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While commentators such as Dilip Hiro note that a complete reversal in state policy is unlikely, the Assembly of Experts is likely to exert more influence than it did under its previous head, the late Ali Meshkini.