-Caveat Lector-
http://www.payvand.com/news/02/nov/1047.html
Payvand's Iran News ...
11/13/02
Iranian judiciary flays critics of death verdict
for Aghajari
Tehran, Nov 13, IRNA -- Iranian judiciary on
Wednesday lashed out at critics of a death sentence
for university professor Hashem Aghajari and
defended the court which has indicted him on
blasphemy charges.
"It is surprising that those who boast of piety
consider blatant insult to the religion and the
infallible household (of Prophet Mohammad PBUH)
and their divine position as well as derision of
brilliant Islamic principles as freedom of thought," it
said in a statement.
"Is it possible to defend a person who claims to be a
Muslim, but has given himself up to satans by
denying the basics of the religion, including the
principle of emulation of top clerics.
"How can one defend a person who has gone
beyond (German philosopher Karl) Marx and called
the religion not only the opium of the masses but
also the governments.
"Or he says as long as this decadent religion does
not change, there will be no hope for any reform and
that all religious teachings are dusty, darkened and
antiquated," the statement added.
The Judiciary pledged to carry out its legal
proceedings in the case, despite all the 'hue and
cry'.
"The judicial apparatus, relying on the principle of
the independence of judges and the judiciary ... will
never give in to hue and cry and considers all
proceedings in this case as legal and free from
errors," it said.
Aghajari was sentenced to death by a court of first
order in Hamedan last Wednesday for allegedly
blaspheming Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The local
court further sentenced him to an eight-year
imprisonment in desert cities and 74 flogs as well as
banned him from teaching for 10 years.
The verdict has been denounced as 'too harsh' as
several thousand students have held peaceful
protest rallies over recent days.
President Mohammad Khatami here Wednesday said
that the death sentence was an 'improper verdict'
and called for quick resolution of the matter. "This
was an improper verdict and I personally do not
agree with such confrontations at all," he told
reporters after a cabinet session. The Iranian
president also defended Aghajari, who lost his leg
as well as his brother during the Iraqi imposed-war
of 1980-1988.
"It is hard to issue a ruling on ideological matters,
especially in the case of a person whose record is
bright and the material said about him could be
interpreted in a way that no fault is found in his
work," Khatami added.
The Association of Combatant Clerics (Majma'
Rohaniun Mobarez) on Tuesday issued a statement,
condemning the sentence and called on the judiciary
to revoke it. "It is expected that the judicial system
... will seriously refrain from issuing such verdicts
which primarily insult Islam and the principle of
Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh)," they said.
Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi here Sunday
strongly criticized the sentence and voiced his
'hatred and disgust at this shameful verdict'.
However, about 100 trainees of a clerical school as
well as volunteer Basij students of Amir Kabir
University on Wednesday gathered in front of a
justice department in Tehran and supported the
death sentence.
Chanting slogans, they also called on the judiciary
to stay firm against mounting pressures and carry
out legal proceedings to the full. "Our party is the
party of (Imam) Ali and our leader is Seyed Ali
Khamenei," they chanted referring to the first
infallible Imam of the Shia Muslims as well as
supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution. They also
held placards, some of which read, "People will
enter the arena if the three branches of power fail to
reform," echoing Ayatollah Khamenei's statements
on Monday, in which he said he may call 'popular
forces' to the scene.
"The best action is to use legal channels, but if the
three branches of power some day fail or do not
want to resolve bigger problems, the leadership will
call the popular force into the arena in order to
tackle the problems," the leader said.
President Khatami says death verdict on
Aghajari "improper"
Tehran, Nov 13, IRNA -- President Mohammad
Khatami here Wednesday said that the death
sentence, handed to university professor Hashem
Aghajari on charge of blasphemy, was an "improper
verdict". "This was an improper verdict and I
personally do not agree with such confrontations at
all," he told reporters after a cabinet session. The
Iranian president also defended Aghajari, who lost
his leg as well as his brother during the Iraqi
imposed-war of 1980-1988. "It is hard to issue a
ruling on ideological matters, especially in the case
of a person whose record is bright and the material
said about him could be interpreted in a way that no
fault is found in his work," Khatami added.
Aghajari was summoned to court in August this year
after he called for religious restructuring and
criticized the Islamic principle of emulation (Taqlid)
from religious leaders in Shia-dominated Iran. He
was sentenced to death by a court of first order in
Hamedan last Wednesday for allegedly blaspheming
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The local court further
sentenced him to an eight-year imprisonment in
desert cities and 74 flogs as well as banned him
from teaching for 10 years.
Khatami hoped that the case would be resolved in
the earliest so that the ensuing problems are
averted. "Given that this ruling must not have been
issued at all, we hope this matter will be settled in a
favorable manner so that no problems are created
for the country," he said.
"Failing to consider all aspects as well as overall
interests of the (Islamic) system and international
sensitivities could lead to problems," Khatami
added.
"Officials of the three branches of power must
beware that such a condition does not arise," he
said, adding "We hope this verdict, which does not
seem to be applicable and will not be applied, will be
resolved soon." The verdict has been denounced as
"too harsh" as several thousand students have held
peaceful protest rallies over recent days.
Khatami invited them to remain calm and prevent
from giving pretext to "those who deny the
principles of the Islamic Republic". "Any action,
which may cause tensions and create problems,
must be shunned at this juncture," he said, adding
"We must abstain from giving pretexts to those who
deny the principles of the Islamic Republic, religious
democracy as well as progress of affairs". Khatami
also welcomed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei's Monday advice to officials of the three
branches to quit political bickering and get down to
brass tacks, including corruption in some state
offices.
"We always pay attention to supreme leader's
suggestions as well as his overall policies," he said.
"The best action is to use legal channels, but if the
three branches of power some day fail or do not
want to resolve bigger problems, the leadership will
call the popular force into the arena in order to
tackle the problems," the leader said. Khatami
reiterated his government's resolve to stem social
corruption, including its recent submission of a bill
to fight money laundering.
Karroubi calls on student to practice self-
restraint
Tehran, Nov 13, IRNA -- Majlis Speaker Mehdi
Karroubi here on Wednesday called on students to
demonstrate their opposition within the framework
of the constitution to a death sentence issued on a
prominent university professor. Talking to
reporters, Karroubi invited the students to observe
order, calm and discipline in their protests in order
not to provide the enemies with opportunities to take
advantage of disorders in the country. Many
students have staged demonstrations and sit-in in
protest at a death sentence, handed by an Iranian
court on university professor Hashem Aghajari this
week. Several universities condemned Aghajari's
verdict. Aghajari was summoned to court in August
this year after he called for religious restructuring in
Iran.
Speaking at a function to commemorate a prominent
Iranian intellectual, late Ali Shariati in Hamedan,
Aghajari had criticized the Islamic principle of
emulation (Taqlid) from religious leaders. Karroubi
termed questioning as the basis of press activities
and suggested that officials should tolerate impacts
of questioning in order to materialize the concept of
press freedom.
He further called the recent steps by the US
government to bar an Iranian state TV documentary
filmmaker and journalist Hossein Dejbashi from
entering the US as an 'inhumane and non-democratic
measure'. Hossein Dehbashi was held hand-cuffed
and chained for 10 hours on November 8 in
Washington despite having obtained a US visa
following an invitation by Princeton University's
department of Iranian studies "to make a television
series about US society for Iranian audience.
"I accepted their suggestion and they sent me an
invitation letter, upon which I obtained a journalist
visa from the US embassy in Dubai together with a
press card provided by the press section of the
State Department," Dehbashi was quoted as saying.
"I flew ... from London and was fingerprinted and
photographed on my arrival but then they told me
the visa was a normal visa which was mistakenly
issued by US embassy in Dubai and did not apply to
my case," he added.
"After 10 hours they sent me, handcuffed, in the
airplane and submitted my identity documents to
flight attendants and returned me back to London."
US immigration officers "told me this type of visa is
not enough for a country which is part of an axis of
evil and stamped cancelled on it," he said.
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