Iran Sentences Four Baha'is To 20 Years Jail

Conservative heavyweight Mohammad Reza Bahonar triggered the political confrontation by threatening Iran's reformists that they would be treated as “outsiders” if they boycott the upcoming elections. This is a serious threat in the Islamic Republic’s political context.

Two days later, a prominent conservative figure, Bijan Moghaddam, who is close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard, tried to smooth out Bahonar’s comment, under reformists pressure, saying that this was Bahonar’s own view and did not reflect the position of the ruling hardliners. 

Bahonar had used the vernacular term "khavarej" about reformists if they boycott the elections. The word meaning outsiders, also means in the Iranian religious context "those who opposed Imam Ali," the first Imam of the Shiite sect who was eventually assassinated by khavarej (the Kharijites). The word is almost synonymous with heretics.

Bahonar had made the statement after reformist theoretician Saeed Hajjarian mentioned boycotting as one of the six possible reactions by reformist if hardliners prevent or restrict their right to run in the elections.

Hundreds of reformist candidates were banned in the 2020 parliamentary vote by the conservative Guardian Council loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The result was a very low-turnout election in which hardliners won a commanding majority in the legislature.

While they show little sign of giving reformists a fair chance in March 2024, there is talk of simply boycotting the vote. At the same time that hardliners want to continue their monopoly of power, they are concerned about another low-turnout elections that would further tarnish the image of the regime.

In his interview with Khabar Onlineon Monday, Moghaddam maintained that reformists' maneuvers indicate they are likely to boycott the election. He said in a tone milder than Bahonar's: "Calling for participation in the elections is essential for Iran's security and national interests."

Moghaddam also said, "Both the Supreme Leader and the people expect reformists to take part in the elections." Again, this was a threat milder and more diplomatic than Bahonar's.

However, speaking of the voters, many people have commented on social media that Iranians have said over and over during recent protests that they no longer trust the reformists or the conservatives, and what they want is in fact a regime change. 

Earlier, Azar Mansoori, the leader of Iran's Reform Front, an umbrella organization consisting of several reformist parties and political groups, addressed Bahonar in a July 2 telling him that if he is concerned about low turnout, instead of threatening reformists he should tell his fellow conservatives to allow fair competition. 

In another tweet on the same date, prominent Iranian sociologist Mohammad Fazeli wrote: "Such a threat…reveals a significant characteristic of Iranian politics today."

Hajjarian, a former intelligence operative, had made it clear in his statement that "as the current government does not want reformists' political participation, reformists may consider taking part in the elections only if President Raisi resigns or is ousted."

Moghaddam told Khabar Online that "statements against the elections by some politicians may be assessed as a threat against national security." He added: "When you put forward preconditions that cannot be met, you are obviously paving the way for boycotting the elections." 

Former IRGC officer Ghorban Ali Salavatian wrote in a tweet on July 3, "Some of the conservatives cannot talk properly and in a timely manner. So, they shoot themselves in the foot like Mr. Bahonar who has threatened the reformists rather than trying to encourage them to take part in the elections. Referring to Bahonar's outdated rhetoric, another user wrote that "Individuals like Bahonar continue to live in the 1980s."

Another comment said "What you quoted was what Bahonar said directly. Indirectly, however, he was begging the Reformists to form a coalition with a group of conservatives including himself." 

It does not yet appear that the Iran-backed Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah has made any negotiation demands for Elizabeth Tsurkov, who traveled to Iraq on her Russian passport to carry out research for her PhD studies in politics at Princeton University in the United States.

An expert on regional proxies across the Middle East including Turkey's proxies in Syria, she had traveled to several of the region's terror hotspots. Israel's Prime Minister's Office released a statement which confirmed Tsurkov is still alive, adding that the situation is being handled by the relevant bodies in Israel.

Tsurkov's mother Irena said they lost contact two months ago. "From what I had known until today, she was in Turkey, working on her research for Princeton. I didn't even know she was in Iraq," she told Israel's N12 News.

Tsurkov's Twitter page, which has nearly 80,000 followers, was last updated on March 21.

Israeli citizens are forbidden from travelling to Iraq — an enemy state where Kataib Hezbollah is one of the most powerful Iran-backed militia groups, with a history of attacking US targets in the area.

Calling for restraint by the Islamic Republic, a fact-finding mission mandated by the UN urged the regime to stop executing people sentenced to death for taking part in anti-government protests.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in the custody of the country's morality police unleashed a wave of mass protests across Iran, marking the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since its establishment in 1979. 

Member countries and several NGOs took turns about the bleak situation of human rights in Iran, with the regime complaining about every critical proposition that was uttered during the session. 

As is customary in such summits, the representatives of the countries from the free world condemned the atrocities by the Islamic Republic while the regime’s allies such as China, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Cuba came out in support of Tehran and its actions. 

The regime has killed more than 500 people since the protests began and arrested well over 22,000 people but its allies tried to justify its actions, with several repeating Iran’s propaganda lines that the popular uprising was in fact an “orchestrated” effort by "enemy" countries. 

In reaction to all those who supported Iran’s crackdown and called the report biased, members of the fact-finding mission and other countries asked the regime to allow UN observers to enter the country and gather data firsthand about the events. Iran has not allowed UN human rights rapporteurs to visit for decades and has not cooperated with any of the international organizations that sought to gather information about its human rights practices.

Sara Hossain, Chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, said Iran's government had announced that 22,000 people had been pardoned in connection with the protests, suggesting that a greater number of people were arrested as part of the heavy-handed crackdown. 

“No official and disaggregated data exists on the nature of the accusations against them, or on those convicted, still detained or charged for their involvement in the protests,” she said, expressing concern that “the conditions of these pardons, namely that protesters were reportedly made to 'express remorse' and to effectively admit guilt through signing written undertakings pledging that they would not commit 'similar crimes' in the future.

Together with fellow members of the mission, Shaheen Sardar Ali and Viviana Krsticevic, Hossain said, “Ten months on (since the death of Amini) Jina Mahsa’s family’s right to truth and justice remains unfulfilled and we are concerned that domestic investigations have fallen short of international human rights norms and standards, including the requirements of promptness, independence, and transparency.”

She also condemned the “lack of transparency around the investigations into her death” as well as "the arrest and continued detention of the two women journalists, Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who first reported on the event.”

“We independently filed our claim before the International Criminal Court and support the four affected countries’ referral to the International Court of Justice,” the Association said in a statement. 

“Those who ordered and carried out the crime [involving] the Ukrainian airliner will not be left alone,” Javad Soleimani who lost his young wife Elnaz Nabii in the tragedy tweeted Wednesday and said suing the Islamic Republic was a very important step to attain justice for which the Association made great efforts. 

“They murdered 177 innocent civilians, blatantly disrespected their remains, looted and robbed their belongings, lied for three days until they were exposed and continued to subvert justice, the Association of Families of Flight PS752 said in a statement Wednesday. 

“The Islamic regime staged show trials at an unqualified and partial military tribunal to convict an unknown patsy for negligence and failure to obey orders, and sentenced him to ten years in prison,” the statement said and thanked the four countries and their legal team for “working steadfastly towards their commitment to truth and justice.”

Some of the victims’ families held a seminar in Toronto Wednesday entitled Flight PS752, Our Mission: Truth and Justice and said they would gather at the city’s Mel Lastman Square to remember the victims. 

The Association’s statement was released after the announcement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the same day that it received a joint application by Canada, Britain, Ukraine and Sweden which constitute the International Coordination and Response Group for the Victims of Flight PS752 against the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning the dispute over the downing of the flight on January 8, 2020 which killed all 177 onboard including an unborn child. 

In a press release Wednesday, ICJ in the Hague, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations often referred to as the World Court, said the applicants claim that Iran has violated a series of obligations under the Montreal Convention because of the shooting down the civilian aircraft by military personnel of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on January 8, 2020. 

They also say Iran subsequently failed to conduct an impartial, transparent, and fair criminal investigation and prosecution consistent with international law. 

“Iran must be held to account for their actions and we will continue to fight for the transparency, accountability and justice that victims' families deserve,” Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, Melanie Joly, tweeted after the announcement. 

In a tweet Wednesday, UK ambassador to Tehran, Simon Shercliff, said the legal action reflects his country’s unwavering committed to achieving transparency, justice and accountability for the families of the victims. 

Iran's hardliners have been comparing the incident with the downing of Flight IR655 on July 3, 1988, by the USS Vincennes. All 290 people onboard the Airbus were killed. 

“With today marking the 33rd anniversary of the shooting down of the Iranian civilian airplane #IR655 which resulted in the death of 290 passengers and crew including 66 children, those who were shedding crocodile tears after the Ukrainian plane crash are nowhere to be seen,” a Twitter account bearing the name of Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Commander at the time of the incident, said on July 3. 

Flying from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran towards Dubai, the UAE, IR655 was shot down during the Iran–Iraq War (1980-1988). The United States claimed the Vincennes crew had incorrectly identified the Airbus as an attacking Iranian Air Force F-14 Tomcat and that the airliner was targeted after ten attempts to contact the aircraft both on military and civilian frequencies to no avail. 

US President Ronald Reagan sent a written diplomatic note to the Islamic republic shortly after the incident and expressed his deep regret for the shooting down of the plane and declared that reparations or compensation to the families of victims were "a matter that has to be discussed."

Citing the foreign ministry, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Tuesday that the kingdom enjoys “full rights” along with Kuwait to the disputed gas and oil field in the resource-rich Persian Gulf, a declaration that came after Tehran said it was preparing to start drilling. 

Called Arash in Iran and Durra or Dorra by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait -- the offshore field was discovered in 1967 and is estimated to have a total proven reserves of around 310 million barrels of oil and 20 trillion cubic feet of gas. 

Iran claims any development without its consent breaks international laws, 40 percent of the field located in its territorial waters. However, Saudi Aramco Gulf Operations Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding in December with Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) to develop the joint gas field, leaving Iran out of the project. Outraged by the snub, Iran said it has a stake in the field and called the Saudi-Kuwaiti agreement "illegal".

However, it evoked an angry response. “The natural resources in the divided area, including the entire Al-Durra field, is jointly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait only,” said a Saudi foreign ministry official, claiming that “only these two states have full sovereign rights to exploit the wealth in that region.”

Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also renewed their call on Iran to start negotiations on the demarcation of the disputed area with the two Arab countries as one negotiating party.

On Monday, Kuwait’s foreign ministry issued a statement echoing Saudi's claims. Also calling on Tehran to start negotiations, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak said: “We categorically and totally reject Iran’s planned activities around the premises of the Durra offshore gas field."

Earlier in March, Kuwait and Iran had held joint negotiations in Tehran regarding the demarcation of their maritime borders, where both sides stressed the need to settle the matter according to international laws. 

An unnamed official of the National Iranian Oil Company told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida that the first round of negotiations between the foreign ministries of Iran and Kuwait regarding the delineation of the maritime borders "was not fruitful".

Iran’s Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi, who led an economic delegation to the Saudi city of Jeddah in May, sought to address the issue in his trip but the Saudi side rejected calls for discussions, claiming Riyadh has no joint field with Iran that it wants to discuss, prompting Iran to announce plans for drilling operations in the field. 

The dispute over the Dorra field stretches back to the 1960s, when Iran and Kuwait each awarded an offshore concession, one to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the forerunner to BP, and one to Royal Dutch Shell. The two concessions overlapped in the northern part of the field, whose recoverable reserves are estimated at some 220 billion cubic meters (seven trillion cubic feet).

Described by Iranian social media users as “the end of the honeymoon” phase following the recent détente between Tehran and Riyadh, the latest round of controversies surrounding the field operations arose after Mohsen Khojsteh-Mehr, the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company, said last week that "there is full preparation to start drilling in the joint Arash oil field" and that “considerable resources” had been allocated to explore the offshore field. 

Last week, Saudi Arabian Oil Company and TotalEnergies signed an $11 billion contract to build a petrochemicals complex near the offshore field. 

Criticizing the Iranian government’s inaction vis-a-vis the project, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Iranian Oil and Gas Drilling Companies Hedayatollah Khademi told ILNA news website in Tehran last month: “It seems that we have surrendered the joint fields to the neighbors.”

Highlighting the fact that Riyadh has significantly developed and extracted from joint fields such as Arash/Durra, Farzad-A, Farzad-B, and Forouzan despite the fact that Iran dug the first exploratory wells in the fields, he said the regime has "not done anything" in the face of encroachment.