Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – March 16, 1999

A group of members of the [Iranian Lawyers Defending Human Rights] Association came and said that since the existing organization is a government organization and is under the jurisdiction of the judiciary, it is not applicable. Most of them are lawyers and at the same time they don't want to do anything to the detriment of the revolution. I said the problem is that it is not easy to combine the international credit and consideration of the interests of the revolution in the current situation. They wanted the news of the meeting to be given; I said, it may be said, it is an order. They wanted to have regular consultations.

Mr. [Reza] Tabari, the head of the cultural department of Mr. [Nasser] Makarem Shirazi's office, came. He brought the work report and samples of their publications and asked for a loan to pay off his debt. As a child, he was infected with polio and his touch is disabled.

In the evening, [Mr. Tufail Karim Haider], the new ambassador of Bangladesh came. The negotiations were formal and in need of more friendship and broader cooperation. He talked about their poverty and problems. He saw me for the first time during the Islamic conference in Senegal, and at that time, the head of ceremonies was Mrs. Khaleda Zia [Prime Minister of Bangladesh] and was influenced by my speech at that meeting. I said about Mrs. Khaleda Zia's personality that she refused to shake hands with the heads of state in that meeting; Although Mr. [Shazli] Ben Jadib, the president of Algeria, extended his hand to shake hands, he did not shake hands.

By night, I did the work. Today, the high-speed railway line between Qom and Tehran, on the new route and the Qom-Kashan highway, was inaugurated by [Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami], the president. It is one of the important tasks of the construction period. In the reports, there is doubt about the success of peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban have retreated and [Gulbadin] Hekmatyar, [Leader of the Afghan Islamic Party] and [Syed Ahmed] Gilani, [Leader of the National Front] have also expressed pessimism.

Zohar Fati, [Chairman of Special Diseases Foundation] came. They talked about the affairs of special patients and his trip to Mecca and took money. Mr. Hossein Marashi, [Kerman representative] came. He said, today or tomorrow, the case of Mr. [Gholam Mohsin] Karbaschi, [Mayor of Tehran], will be commented in the prosecutor's office, and there is a strong possibility that the judgment of the appeals court will be confirmed. He wanted to help to avoid an inappropriate verdict. Tonight, on the occasion of Wednesday, the sound of firecrackers can be heard from all over the city. After the revolution, it is unprecedented.