Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - November 7, 1999 Meeting with Abdullah Nouri and Advising Leniency Towards the Court

Following yesterday's recommendation to Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the Special Clerical Court’s Chief Prosecutor, regarding leniency towards Abdullah Nouri during the court session, Hashemi Rafsanjani met with Nouri and advised him to be cautious and cooperative with the court. However, for various reasons, Nouri did not heed this advice, as detailed in the book Shokaran Eslah (The Cup of Reform).

Abdullah Nouri was eventually sentenced to five years in prison, remaining incarcerated until the death of his brother (Dr. Nouri, a member of the 6th Parliament). At that point, a group of clerical MPs requested his pardon, which was granted by the Leader of the Islamic Republic, and Nouri was released.

An interesting aspect of Nouri's case was that, while being a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, he was also a prisoner of the Islamic Republic. It is said that during his furloughs, Nouri's security detail would escort him from the prison and return him back under protection.

I spent the day at home, reading, resting, and discussing matters with the family. Abdullah Nouri came over, and we discussed his trial and case. He expressed his desire for the trial to be postponed until after the parliamentary elections, though it seemed unlikely that this would be accepted. I advised him not to be too confrontational in court and to avoid raising issues that could complicate and worsen his case.

President Khatami's trip to Paris remained the top news. Finally, today, he delivered his speech at UNESCO, though its value was diminished due to repeated delays and uncertainties. This led to a general perception that Iran was in desperate need of this speech. The strict security measures taken by the French police, Khatami's use of an unusual route, the restriction on journalists, the many empty seats, and the heavy police presence during the speech left a negative impact.

Despite these security measures, a young Iranian anti-regime woman managed to break through the police barricade and threw a tomato at President Khatami’s car. She then jumped onto the car, shouting "terrorist" and "murderer."

While the global media coverage of Khatami's visit was generally positive, these weaknesses were also highlighted. Some German media outlets, comparing Khatami's visit to that of Chinese President Jiang Zemin just a few days prior, noted that the French gave more respect to Jiang's visit because he is the real leader of China, while Khatami is not the top leader and is seen as subservient.

The tense security atmosphere in France, along with internal debates in both Iran and France, detracted from the success of the trip. The closure of several metro stations in Paris, inconveniencing the public, and the arrests made the situation even more controversial.

In Chechnya, the Russian military's bombing of a refugee convoy has worsened the situation, while the Commonwealth of Nations investigation team's visit to Pakistan is proving troublesome for the military regime there.