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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 19, 2002

Iran's Reformists Battle Through 2002 for Civil Society

Iran's reformists battle through a tough year in efforts to establish what they have pledged "a rule of law and a civil society."


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Iran's reformists battle through a tough year in efforts to establish what they have pledged "a rule of law and a civil society."

Nearly at every turn, the reformists headed by President Mohammad Khatami meet with strong resistance from the country's conservatives, making painstaking the drive to promote a more open,freer society.

Mohsen Armin, deputy speaker of the reformist-majority Majlis (parliament), said in late November, "We will do our best as long as we are hopeful that our efforts will bear a fruit," while admitting "once our hopes are dashed, we will stop."

KHATAMI TURNS TO LEGISLATION TO CURB CONSERVATIVES' POWER

Amid spats with hardliners, the embattled president submitted two bills to the Majlis in September in hope of curbing the political power of conservatives.

That was the first real bite during Khatami's two-term presidency at his opponents.

One of the bills redefines the presidential authority, enabling Khatami to remove the judicial and parliament officials who are found to have violated the Constitution or overstepped their powers.

The other, called "electoral reform bill", aims to curtail or end supervision by conservatives in the Guardian Council over the electoral system.

The two bills have won approval at the Majlis, though some of the parliamentarians still believe that the president's executive powers lack teeth.

Both bills, however, have yet to get a go-ahead from the Guardian Council before being made law, a paradox in Iran's political hierarchy.

The Guardian Council has in the past blocked reformers from standing for office and shot down many reform bills aimed at liberalizing the state economy.

The council now charges the two bills with running counter to the Constitution, saying the bills implicate interference with other state powers. It also fears that the bills may eventually lead to dictatorship.

The reform-minded officials, for their part, threaten to resign en masse if the two crucial bills are really killed off.

If the conservatives do not heed the public demand, "we will withdraw the reformist presence from the regime," warned Mohammad Reza Khatami, the president's brother who heads the reform-leaning faction in the Majlis, the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF).

But President Khatami himself vows to stay on track and never quit defending "the people's rights and their legitimate freedom."

The contention is feared to move on until the State Expediency Council interferes again to end the crisis with a final arbitration.

POLITICAL DUEL SPARKS CRACKDOWN

Since Khatami was first elected president in 1997, his political duel with conservatives has claimed heavy casualties.

More than 80 pro-reform newspapers have been shut down and dozens of journalists put in jail, local reports say.

Even members of the Majlis have to suffer despite their parliamentary immunity from prosecution.

The reports say more than 60 MPs have been prosecuted for critics in parliament or political gatherings.

In one of the cases reported months ago, the hard-line Judiciary tried to put behind bars three lawmakers for "spreading lies" and "insulting state officials."

Lawmaker Hossein Loqmanian faced a 10-month sentence as a result, with his colleagues Mohammad Dadfar and Fatemeh Haqiqatjou bracing for tough sentences as well.

Although the case ended peacefully, the stand-off between the Legislature and Judiciary was unprecedented in Iran's modern history.

The two camps recently flexed muscle over a controversial poll on the Iran-US relations.

Abbas Abadi, one of the most prominent reformists, was arrested in November on charge of being paid by the Washington-based Gallup polling agency to manage a pro-American show:

The opinion poll illustrated that almost 75 percent of Iranians favor Iran-US dialogue.

Another clash resulted in capital punishment over a religious issue last month.

University professor Hashem Aghajari was sentenced to death by alocal court after questioning the conservative clergy's interpretation of Islam.

Reformists denounced the sentence as a harsh crackdown on freedom of expression.

For the time being, Iran's reform movement is in balance, with Khatami and his followers having parliament and presidency in hands, and hard-liners controlling the courts, security forces and powerful legislative vetting bodies.

The reality is kind of popular support which swept Khatami to presidency in 1997 and 2001 vis-a-vis executive powers being held by conservatives.

On the prospects for Iran's reform movement, IIPF head Reza Khatami has this to say: "There is always hope for betterment, however, the future does not look very bright."


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