Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 12, 2001 - Discussion on the Urgency of Revisiting the Investigation into the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)

Discussion on the urgency of reconsidering the investigation into the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Transfer of a request from Seyyed Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai to the head of the judiciary to suspend the execution of the sentence until the reopening of the case is clarified to Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.

Consultation on current political matters with senior members of the Council and Sheikh Mohammad Yazdi's complaints about Sheikh Ahmad Jannati for appointing Seyyed Hassan Taheri Khorram Abadi as the head of the Council’s Jurisprudential Advisory Board.

Hashemi’s account of discussions with influential leaders of the country concerning solutions to correct the deviations committed by the Second Khordadi individuals from the principles of Islam and the revolution, which remained unfinished.

Full Text of the Daily Entry:

The Expediency Discernment Council had a meeting. We first made decisions regarding the urgency of revisiting the issue of the investigation into the [Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting]. Based on the proposal of five members, we sent it to the committee. The other sections related to national security from a cultural perspective were approved. After the meeting, I conveyed the message of Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Alizadeh Tabatabai, a member of the Tehran City Council who has been sentenced to prison and whose sentence has been executed, to Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi] Shahroudi, [the head of the judiciary]. He requests the suspension of the sentence until it is clarified what the result of the reopening of the case in the Supreme Court is.

At noon, as is customary monthly, Mr. [Abbas Vaez] Tabasi, [Ahmad] Jannati, [Ghorbanali] Dorri [Najafabadi], [Ali Akbar] Nategh Nouri, [Mohammad] Yazdi, and [Mohammad Ali] Mohajeri [Kermani] were my guests. Mr. Yazdi, [a member of the Guardian Council], criticized Mr. Jannati for suggesting that Mr. [Seyyed Hassan] Taheri Khorram Abadi should be the head of the Advisory Board [of the Guardian Council] without consulting the members of the Guardian Council, considering his serious weakness and illness.

They expressed their dissatisfaction that they could not reach an agreement with Mr. Shahroudi, [the head of the judiciary], regarding the introduction of legal experts to the Guardian Council, and another concern was that the parliament might not vote for the individuals proposed by the judiciary. Although the Guardian Council has indicated that the parliament must select three individuals from the six proposed, this opinion is unlikely to be accepted by the parliament because one cannot be compelled to vote; given that an absolute majority is required. Solutions for correction were proposed. The main discussion was about solutions to correct the deviations from the principles of Islam and the revolution committed by the Second Khordadi individuals, which remained unfinished.

The Palestinian crisis is intensifying. The Islamic Virtue Party in Turkey is on the verge of a split; traditionalists and modernists are separating from each other. The European Union is concerned about the opposition and disturbances from the leftists against globalization policies and NATO expansion, with the most severe incidents occurring in Sweden. They have decided to prevent public demonstrations, contrary to their claims of supporting freedom.