ADAMANT STUDENTS LEADER SAYS PROTEST MOVEMENT WOULD CONTINUE
PARIS-TEHRAN 10TH Sept. (IPS) Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, the leader of the Islamic Union of Iranian Students wowed he would continue his struggle for freedom, justice, prosperity, democracy, security and above all the rule of law.
Interviewed hours after he came out of prison on Friday, the outspoken Mr. Tabarzadi said students have a much more greater role to play in implementing democracy and enforcing freedom now that the ruling class has reached a dead end in achieving reform process, "as proved by recent events in the Majles" (parliament) and Mr. (Mohammad) Khatami having "nothing new to say".
He was referring to Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i’s shocking intervention in the Legislature’s prerogatives when he, last month, ordered the Speaker of the Majles to withdrew from debate a bill aimed at revising an unpopular press law.
The 40 years-old Tabarzadi was arrested for the third time three months ago by the Islamic Justice over a meeting he had called off but that went ahead nevertheless, with some protesters chanting slogans insulting for the leader.
"At first, I thought my arrest was in connection with the authorities fear of the repetition of last year’s students uprising and was convinced that I would be released after the July 13 deadline is past, but once I was confined to a solitary cell, I was told that I was arrested in connection with the 4 of Khordad (25th of May, coinciding with the victory of Mr. Khatami in 1997 presidential elections) meeting that we had called off on request from the authorities", he explained, saying he intended to lodge complaint against the Judiciary.
He told both the BBC and the France Radio Internationale’s Persian services, that Judge Sa’id Mortazavi, a ruthless leader-appointed judge who mostly deal with the press and is known as the "Liar Judge" has warned him against continuing his political activities, telling him he could be prosecuted because of collaboration with Mr. Abbas Amir Entezam of Mr. Dariush Foruhar.
"Judge Mortazavi made ridiculous and baseless charges, saying since Mr. Amir Entezam was condemned for espionage, therefore our association is also dealing in espionage or since we had contacts with Mr. Foruhar, therefore we are for the toppling of the regime by organizing uprisings and armed riots", the adamant Tabarzadi added.
A former Deputy Premier under Mr. Mehdi Bazargan, Islamic Republic’s first provisory Prime Minister, Mr. Amir Entezam is Iran’s longest political prisoner and though he had been kept more than 17 years in prison, often in solitary cell and badly tortured, yet the Judiciary failed to produce enough documents to condemn him for espionage for the United States.
Mr. Dariush Foruhar was the leader of the secularist Iranian People’s Party who was murdered by high-ranking agents of the Information Ministry alongside his wife Parvaneh late November 1998.
He said regardless of the warnings from the "Liar Judge" he would continue with his activities, "even though I’m certain that I would be arrested again".
He was first arrested in 1997 after he openly called for the leader to be also elected by the people, that his mandate be limited like that of the president, that he be answerable to the people and his powers be limited and well defined as well.
"As we are going to continue our activities, we shall also face more accusations, but we would not stop in our road as in the absence of any free and independent press, with political parties being lamed and the freedom movement in limbo, only the students could voice people’s aspiration for democracy, justice, stability, security and basic freedoms", assured Mr. Tabarzadi
However, he added that the action and protest would be of pacific form, "without violence and without any insult to the officials in charge". ENDS TABARZADI 10900