Thursday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 7.28.2005:

Iran's Students Find Inspiration in Ganji's Protest

Eli Lake, The NY Sun:

A spokesman for Iran's union of student organizations, Tahkim Vahdat, says a hunger strike by jailed dissident journalist, Akbar Ganji, has inspired the country's democracy movement. ...

Mr. Ganji today enters Day 47 of the hunger strike he launched on June 11 when he was rearrested for urging Iranians to boycott last month's presidential election, as did Tahkim Vahdat. ...

In an interview yesterday, a spokesman for Tahkim Vahdat, Akbar Atri, told The New York Sun that starting in September, university chapters of his organization will hold a series of seminars on the prospects of a referendum on Iran's constitution, which enshrines the near-absolute power of the unelected supreme leader. ...

"We still held a demonstration in front of Tehran University for Ganji even without proper papers and the police attacked us," Mr. Atri said, noting that the universities were on a summer schedule. "As soon as the universities open you will see more and more intense activities in support of democracy and Akbar Ganji." ...

Mr. Atri yesterday said he urged Europe and America to address the plight of Mr. Ganji and other political prisoners during negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. "It used to be said that raising human rights concerns from the West only discredited the reformers," he said. "But this is no longer true. We need as much pressure on the government now as possible. We accept support from everyone."

Mr. Atri left Iran in November and came to America in March. He said yesterday that one of the reasons he came here was to help educate the American people on the Iranian opposition.

"Europe is interested in the preservation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. America is interested in the preservation of the Iranian people. So I came here," he said.

Like Mr. Ganji, Mr. Atri was one of the architects of the movement for a referendum on the Islamic Republic's constitution. In the interview yesterday he said that the call for a referendum would continue in the fall. READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Turkish Weekly reported that President Mohammad Khatami will submit a report to Judiciary Chief next week on violation of regulations in the presidential elections.
• Iran Focus, an MEK website, reported that Iran is secretly acquiring a rare form of ultra-strong steel to use as casing for nuclear bombs.
• Khaleej Times Online reported that Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, announced on Thursday that Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji might be released.
• BBC News reported that Iranian police have arrested at least 12 people in connection with fresh protests in Khuzestan province.
• Iran Focus, an MEK website, reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic’s top statesmen met behind closed doors to discuss the country’s uranium enrichment program and it was decided to wait until August 1 when their joint decision will be made public.
• USA TODAY reported that the European Union will offer Iran next week a guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel for civilian nuclear power plants.
• Khaleej Times Online reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad wants to meet a delegation from the Iranian Jews living in Los Angeles and The Iranian president is keen on attending the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York.
• Amir Taheri, The Times UK said beards and scarves aren't Muslim. They're simply advertising for al-Qaeda.
• Yahoo News reported that Iran's outgoing reformist President Mohammad Khatami criticised the "obstinacy" of dissident jailed journalist Akbar Ganji.
• Haaretz Daily reported that Iran confirmed for the first time that it has fully developed solid fuel technology in producing missiles.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a government spokesman expressed hope the case of the jailed journalist Akbar Ganji would be settled soon.
• And finally, Mahabad.org provided photos of the regime bringing in truckloads of trucks with heavy guns. The unrest in Mahabad (located in the Kurdish region of Iran) is spreading throughout the region.