TEHRAN, 5 May 2005 — One of the main conservative contenders to become Iran’s next president has come under heavy fire for his alleged past support of the repression of pro-democracy protests and an ongoing media crackdown. In a virulent attack quoted by the press yesterday, the spokesman for Iran’s reformist government recalled that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was one of several top commanders in the hard-line Revolutionary Guards who in July 1999 had written an open letter to denounce student-led protests.
In the letter, the commanders warned their “patience was at an end” and urged the government of President Mohammad Khatami to act against pro-democracy demonstrators. The protests were eventually halted by a violent crackdown and widespread arrests.
“It is an honor for the Khatami government that those who had written saying their patience was at an end ... are today wearing slick suits and supporting progress through reforms,” Abdullah Ramazanzadeh said in an unprecedented personal swipe at Qalibaf.
In a reaction issued by his campaign, Qalibaf was quoted as saying that Ramazanzadeh was an “extremist” who “has caused tensions”, and was therefore “not fit enough to merit a reply”. With just over a month to go before the Islamic republic goes to the polls, the 43-year-old Qalibaf has emerged as one of the main contenders in the race to replace Khatami — who is near the end of his second consecutive term and cannot run for reelection.
Meanwhile, Iran reiterated yesterday that it was sticking by its effort to make its own nuclear fuel, but nevertheless said it wanted to continue negotiations with the European Union aimed at easing international alarm. Speaking on state television, President Mohammad Khatami pledged that any nuclear activities that may resume - despite a deal with Britain, France and Germany - would be “still very far away” from the highly-sensitive process of enriching uranium.
“Our desire is to negotiate and to find a compromise,” he emphasized, in comments that appeared to back away from the more defiant tone struck by the clerical regime the previous day. Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani also emphasized that “Iran will maintain the suspension of the key enrichment activities but could, if it decided to, resume some of its activities.”
In another development, five men convicted of murder or armed robbery were hanged in Iran yesterday, one of them publicly in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and four others in a prison in the capital, officials said. Quoted by the official news agency IRNA, a judiciary official in Ahvaz said a man only identified as Reza H. was executed for stabbing to death Hossein A.
The hangings in Tehran were carried out at dawn inside the city’s main Evin prison, a judiciary official told AFP without giving any further details. Press reports identified the four convicts as Hatam Gorgi, sentenced for the murder a young man in a park; Ali Asghar Hojabri, who was found guilty of slaying a family of five; armed robber Mohammad Faranaki and triple killer Ali Asghar Mardi. So far this year Iran has executed at least 21 people, according to an AFP tally based on witness and press reports.
